The Eiffel Tower and the surrounding Champ de Mars park were briefly evacuated overnight because of a bomb alert, the fourth in the Paris region in as many weeks, but a search turned up nothing.Police said, the decision to evacuate came after the fire service received a call from a public telephone saying there was a suspect package at the tower.It was also the second evacuation of the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars due to a bomb alert – which also failed to turn up any explosives – in two weeks.French security officials said last week that the country was on heightened alert after receiving a tip-off of a planned suicide attack on the Paris metro.Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said on September 20 that France faced a real terrorism threat due to a backlash from Al Qaeda militants in North Africa, with fears growing of an attack from home-grown cells within French borders.

The Eiffel Tower and the surrounding Champ de Mars park were briefly evacuated overnight because of a bomb alert, the fourth in the Paris region in as many weeks, but a search turned up nothing.Police said, the decision to evacuate came after the fire service received a call from a public telephone saying there was a suspect package at the tower.It was also the second evacuation of the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars due to a bomb alert – which also failed to turn up any explosives – in two weeks.French security officials said last week that the country was on heightened alert after receiving a tip-off of a planned suicide attack on the Paris metro.Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said on September 20 that France faced a real terrorism threat due to a backlash from Al Qaeda militants in North Africa, with fears growing of an attack from home-grown cells within French borders.