False alarm at Eiffel Tower

French police evacuated up to 4,000 tourists from the Eiffel Tower in Paris yesterday after a telephone caller threatened to attack it, but the warning turned out to be a false alarm.

A police source said 4,000 people were calmly led out of the tower, one of France's busiest tourist attractions, at about 3:30 p.m. (1330 GMT) - 40 minutes before the attack threatened by an anonymous caller from a call-box.

"There was no bomb," a police spokesman said after a search of the tall metal tower which dominates the Paris skyline.

The decision to evacuate the tower highlighted how seriously French authorities are taking security and threats following the train bombs that killed 191 people on March 11 in Madrid. Soldiers and police are out in force in the French capital.

Yesterday's threat was at one of the tourist peaks, when thousands of people visit the tower daily.

A Reuters correspondent said tourists were let back into the tower about three hours after it was evacuated. Many families were waiting in long queues and were relaxed.

"We had just got up to the first floor when we were told to come back down again, using the stairs," said Benni Trenz, a 17-year-old German from Frankfurt, accompanied by his girlfriend. He said there had been no panic.

"Now we don't know if we can go back again with the same tickets. It will be a bit annoying if we can't."

Each year, six million people climb the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of Paris recognisable throughout the world. It was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution.