Arc de Triomphe area in Paris evacuated over bomb threat

Police in Paris, France have cordoned off an area around the iconic Arc de Triomphe monument after a bomb alert. Metro lines in the area are also being evacuated.

Law enforcement officers are currently clearing the area, after finding a bag “likely to contain explosives” was found on the nearby Champ de Mars, French media reported.

There is no Metro service at the Charles de Gaulle station, while road traffic has been halted on the Etoile roundabout and part of the Champs-Élysées.

French authorities have been on high alert for terrorist threats since October 16, when teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by an Islamist militant in a suburb of Paris. In its wake, the government has declared the attack a strike against the values of the Republic and cracked down on “extremist” Muslim organizations.