Eiffel Tower Bomb Threat was a false alarm...

Yes, France has its share of nutcases just like the USA and the rest of world. No surprise there.

The average American, probably includes Canadians, is very poor at risk assessment. On your last European trip you were at your greatest risk of death or serious injury on the drive to and from your airport. And for that one person in ten million that gets hit by lightning or that terrorist's bomb, it is a serious problem but for the rest of us not a big deal.

What do you all think about the recent statement from the French counterespionage chief saying that "the risk of a terrorist attack on French soil has 'never been higher' and that 'objectively, there are reasons for worry.'" Can't say I'm too thrilled about that, considering that I'll be in Paris for a week next month...

The trouble with those statements is that they mean nothing - no context. Higher than what? We are under the orange level security threat in this country. Does anyone have any idea what that means? If you are worried about being hurt better walk to the airport.

Specifically, "He says the risk now is as high as in 1995 before of deadly attacks on the Paris Metro by Algerian Islamic extremists." I'm not saying it's going to stop me from doing anything, just saying I'm not thrilled about it. Who likes to hear that? I'm less likely to feel very scared by that kind of thing than some people, but at the same time I'm not fearless either.

What the heck was going on in my life that this is not even a vague memory for me? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Paris_Metro_bombing Yikes. Less than three months for us. Will not advertise this to the husband, as I go solo to France with the three girls.

Actually, there is good reason to be extra careful in Paris right now - the French gov't just passed (overwhelmingly, btw) a ban on burqas and Islamic style veils so it's reasonable to expect that some Islamic whack jobs will try to retaliate against the country.

I am going to Paris this Saturday -on a Steves tour group of Paris - will there be any chance of our tour being delayed or postponed? Since the Tower has been targeted 2 x in 2 days, plus a much used toursit area metro station where a previous attack has happened, I think should be taken very seriously. Also the captial has a national 'happening' going on this weekend we have been apprised of - with lots of extra French tourists as well. Gives crazies another reason for the threats.

Wasn't this in "Superman II"?

And FWIW, I CAN post other things besides 'doom and gloom'...('Eiffel Tower explodes', 'Italian village shoved into ocean by mudslide', 'Swiss Guard beats old woman for daring to wear sleeveless dress in Vatican City') LOL!!! I'll try very hard next time to present the lighter side...;-)

You could just chuck it all and go here instead:...http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/6995.........Wynonna, your tour should go ahead as planned - these types of things aren't exactly rare, but nor are they common. Now THAT was clear ;-) Don't be alarmed by the machine gun-toting people around the tower - that's pretty standard these days...is a little bit creepy, though.

On every trip in this decade, 6 including that of this year, I have seen the French Army troops, in groups of three, men and women, white and Black, day and night, patrol Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est, carrying their automatic rifles. This was always in the summer. Sometimes, in the earlier years of the decade, or back in the 1980s and 1990s, I saw these troop patrols reinforced by the presence of the CRS.

Yes, after reading about the ban, I think extra vigilance is a good idea. I would keep an eye on the state department alerts for France over the next few months, too. If you feel comfortable with the government knowing your goings-on (I don't care, in this case), you might want to register your visit with them, just in case. I won't cancel our trip (or our visit to the Eiffel Tower), but I will be even more aware of our surroundings and watching for easy exits.

Even if there is an actual bombing the probability you being next to so is so low that you would have a better chance of winning the lottery. It is not worth worrying about.

We were at Paris this past Tues - Thurs. we were at the tower the night of the bomb threat an left about an hour before it actually occurred. ( No, I don't think we are suspects!) We had reservations to go up the tower the next afternoon ( 9/15) at 5:30. We saw a LOT of French military personnel patrolling the grounds with their weapons handy - as we saw at most train stations and monuments - but everything else was business as usual. In fact, the presence of the security forces was almost calming, much like security in our airports. You can live your life in a shell or accept that there are certain risks with everything you do. Then, hopefully, go out AND DO IT!

So if I wear a veil or dress like an Muslim woman I can be fined and possibly arrested. But if I dress like a Ninja I can walk the streets of France without a care?

Based on my experience, French Soldiers with assault rifles have been patrolling at the Eiffel Tower for quite some time (the French use a FAMAS "Bullpup" design assault weapon, so it has a very distinctive appearance). I didn't get to the Tower on my last visit to Paris, but on the previous visit there was ALWAYS a pair of Soldiers there. ¶ I don't know for sure, but suspect this started after 9/11? As I recall, there's also a Police station under one leg of the towers, so there's a good law enforcement presence there as well.