Bomb scare shuts down Paris hospital

Police closed off one of Paris' main hospitals on Monday night, after receiving a bomb threat which later turned out to be false. The false alarm follows similar recent scares at some of the capital's most famous sights, including the Elysée Palace, Saint-Lazare station and the Eiffel Tower.

David Monniaux/Wikipedia

Police erected a security cordon round the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in the centre of Paris at around 8.45 pm on Monday. The site is on Cité island in the Seine River, next to the Paris police prefecture, courthouse and Notre Dame cathedral.

Ambulances were diverted to other hospitals, and nearby Cité metro station was also closed.

Police searched the premises, but did not find any suspect package. The security precautions were lifted at around 10.15 pm.

The French capital has been on high alert since September, when several senior officials warned that a major terrorist attack could be imminent. The alert was subsequently echoed by the US and Japan.

But so far, all threats have turned out to be fake.

On Monday, a man was sentenced to 80 hours of community service for falsely claiming that there was a bomb at President Nicolas Sarkozy's Elysée palace. The man, in his 30s and on sickness benefits, said he had wanted to "make trouble" for his partner after they argued.