(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/130330-eiffel-hmed-2p.photoblog600.jpg)Thomas Coex / AFP - Getty ImagesFrench 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 NewsFrench police say the Eiffel Tower has been completely evacuated after an anonymous individual called in a bomb threat Saturday.
The call received at 7 p.m. local time warned of a possible attack at 9:30 p.m. local time.
French media later reported police had lifted the security alert, saying the threat appeared to be a hoax. Movement was subsequently allowed near the tower.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld)Investigators used sniffer dogs to search the Eiffel Tower for any suspicious devices.
About 1,400 tourists and staffers were evacuated from the tower. 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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