Alert cleared at Eiffel Tower after bomb threat

Thomas Coex / AFP - Getty Images

French police stand guard near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on March 30, 2013. The Eiffel Tower was evacuated after an anonymous phone call announced an attack, said a police source. The perimeter of the monument was secured and about 1,400 people were evacuated shortly before 9 p.m.

By Nancy Ing and Becky Bratu, NBC News

Police evacuated about 1,400 tourists and staffers at the Eiffel Tower for two hours after an anonymous individual called in a bomb threat Saturday, but people were later allowed to return.

French media reported police had lifted the security alert around 10 p.m. local time, saying the threat appeared to be a hoax. The public was allowed to return once investigators completed the search for suspicious devices.

The call received at 7 p.m. local time warned of a possible attack at 9:30 p.m. local time.

Investigators used sniffer dogs to search the Eiffel Tower for any explosive devices.

French police have received similar calls in the past and have always evacuated the famous tourist attraction as a precaution. The tower was evacuated at least once last year and twice in 2011, according to The Associated Press.

News website Le Parisien reported that police said the threat was called in from a telephone booth in a Paris suburb.

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Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a2bf46f/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C30A0C175317210Ealert0Ecleared0Eat0Eeiffel0Etower0Eafter0Ebomb0Ethreat0Dlite/story01.htm

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