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Bomb alerts and evacuations continue at airports across France
So far all threats have been declared hoaxes
Bomb alerts and evacuations are continuing at French airports for a third day – with 18 regional airports affected on Friday (October 20).
Bordeaux and Béziers in the south, and Rennes in the north were evacuated while others, including Lille in the northeast and Nantes in the west, were able to rule out danger without this.
Other airports impacted include Beauvais, Tarbes, Pau, Brest, Lorraine, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Lyon-Bron, Nice, Biarritz, Bâle-Mulhouse and Perpignan.
It comes after 17 airports went on alert and 15 temporarily evacuated on Wednesday (October 18) resulting in cancelled flights and disrupted travel for many passengers.
Another bomb threat led to the evacuation of Montpellier airport on Thursday (October 19). The airport was closed at 11:00 with bomb disposal teams dispatched to investigate.
So far all threats have been declared hoaxes, with no explosions confirmed, and no injuries reported.
Government growing impatient
The French government is growing impatient, threatening prison terms and heavy fines for anyone making fake bomb threats.
Earlier this week 18 people were detained in just 48 hours according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin – they were mostly, but not only, minors.
The barrage of alerts "disorganises our security services and obviously stops society from functioning," Mr Darmanin said in an interview with BFM-TV news channel.
False alerts also "pose an enormous risk in case of a (real) problem."
The minister said that "significant means" are being used to identify pranksters: "We tell those listening: We will find everyone," he said.
Heightened alert
France has been on heightened alert since the fatal stabbing of a schoolteacher last week that was blamed on a suspected Islamic extremist who allegedly declared allegiance to the Islamic State group.
A funeral service for Dominique Bernard, the French-language teacher killed by a knife wound to the neck, was held Thursday in Arras, the northern town where he taught at the Gambetta-Carnot school.
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