Palace of Versailles and airports in France evacuated amid security threats

Three French airports in the cities of Lyon, Toulouse and Lille were evacuated following security alerts, police say.

Emailed threats of an attack were received at the airports, prompting evacuations and security checks.

Meanwhile, an abandoned piece of luggage briefly disrupted operations at the airport in Nice. 

The Palace of Versailles was also evacuated for the third time since the weekend.

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Chateau of Versailles apologised to visitors after they were cleared out due to "security reasons".

They are the latest in a series of evacuations around France this week that have included popular tourist attractions such as the Louvre Museum.

All the threats up to and on Wednesday have been proven false. The airports have all reopened to passengers and staff after security checks.

Police did not elaborated on the contents of the emails received by the airports but government officials for the Lyon region said the threat at the airport was a false alarm.

They also reminded the public that communicating false information can lead to prison and a heavy fine.

Government spokesman Olivier Veran said the multiple security alerts and evacuations must not grip France with fear.

“This is what the terrorists are waiting for, to terrorise us ... we can be vigilant and I prefer to speak about a vigilant society," Veran said.

“Vigilance, yes. Fear, no,” he added. “And even less so terror, and not psychosis.”

Security alerts are evaluated on a case by case basis in coordination with the police, he added.

The Louvre Museum and the Palais de Versailles were evacuated on Saturday, and the royal palace was again evacuated on Tuesday.

A high school in Arras, in northern France, was evacuated on Monday ahead of a moment of silence in schools around France, three days after the murder of a teacher at the Arras school allegedly carried out by a former student and suspected Islamist extremist.

France has heightened its threat alert level, allowing authorities to add 7,000 soldiers to the 3,000 already in French streets.

They are tasked with guarding Jewish places of worship, schools, train stations and other sensitive areas.

The anti-terrorism prosecutor said on Tuesday that the suspect declared his allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group before the fatal stabbing.

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