20-10-2023 (PARIS) On Friday, October 20th, a 16-year-old individual was apprehended in connection with a bomb hoax that has rattled the Paris region, according to police sources. This arrest follows a week of unsettling incidents involving bomb threats at airports, schools, and prominent landmarks.
The spate of false alarms has struck a nation on high alert, triggered by recent events such as the Hamas attack on Israel, Israel’s subsequent retaliation in Gaza, and the tragic stabbing of a teacher in the northern French city of Arras last week.
The teenager was taken into custody on Thursday in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumone, a town situated to the northwest of Paris, following a bomb threat sent via email to his school. The incident led to the evacuation of approximately 1,200 people, including around a thousand students, from the Jean Perrin high school. Fortunately, no explosives were discovered during an examination of the premises, and the precise motive of the teenager behind the threat remains unclear.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin revealed that French authorities had made 18 arrests in response to false bomb threats on both Wednesday and Thursday. Numerous major airports across France, outside of Paris, became the targets of these threats, resulting in evacuations, significant delays lasting for hours, and the cancellation of numerous flights.
A fresh wave of threats affected 14 regional airports on Friday. Evacuations were executed at airports such as Bordeaux and Beziers in the south, while others, including Lille in the northeast and Nantes in the west, were able to dismiss the danger without requiring passengers to be removed.
Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti declared on Friday that 22 investigations had been initiated in response to these false alarms. He firmly stated, “There will obviously be convictions. We cannot let this happen,” emphasizing his commitment to cracking down on “jokers” who display a lack of responsibility. He added, “I remind you that it is the parents who will pay the financial consequences.”
Offenders face potential penalties of two years in prison and a fine of €30,000 (equivalent to US$31,700).
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau issued a warning that the consequences could be even more severe. She noted that bomb threats would now be treated as a form of premeditated “psychological violence.” In an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien, Beccuau explained that this offense could result in a three-year prison sentence and a fine of €45,000.
