Mont Saint-Michel evacuated after man threatens police

Updated

French authorities have re-opened one of the country's most popular tourist sites, Mont Saint-Michel abbey, hours after a major evacuation and house-by-house search for a visitor who reportedly yelled "I'm going to kill a cop".

The exceptional and elaborate evacuation of one of France's most-visited tourist sites came after a string of sporadic attacks around France in recent years targeting police, some of them fatal.

Details of the threat were unclear, but the national gendarme service said authorities ordered the evacuation on Sunday morning (local time) of one of France's most-visited tourist sites as a precaution.

It was re-opened at 2pm local time and local authorities tweeted that "all risks have been averted".

"All houses have been checked, all public and private venues were inspected by the police," district prefect Jean-Marc Sabathe said.

"I'm almost certain that he's gone."

There was contradictory information about the circumstances of the threat. An official with the national gendarme service said the man made the threat on one of the shuttles servicing the site.

Mr Sabathe said the man made the threat when he was trying to stage a street performance and got in an argument with a cafe worker.

He said the man was caught on video surveillance cameras.

Mont Saint-Michel mayor Yann Galton told television channel France 3 Normandie the suspect had yelled "I'm going to kill a cop".

The suspect was described as a young man aged between 20 and 30, wearing a white t-shirt and dark trousers, according to Le Figaro.

Mont Saint-Michel, which is surrounded by water at high tide, draws more than a million visitors a year to its 10th century abbey and other sites, making it France's biggest tourist attraction outside Paris.

At the height of the evacuation three police helicopter circled over the peninsula, notably famous for being isolated by high tides, and the surrounding region.

ABC/wires

Topics: tourism, police, crime, france

First posted</s>French authorities evacuated tourists from the Mont Saint-Michel abbey and were searching houses on the famed outcropping in the English Channel for a visitor who apparently threatened to attack police.

Details of the threat were unclear, but the national gendarme service said authorities ordered the evacuation on Sunday morning (local time) of one of France's most-visited tourist sites as a precaution.

There was contradictory information about the circumstances of the threat. An official with the national gendarme service said the man made the threat on one of the shuttles servicing the site.

District prefect Jean-Marc Sabathe said the man made the threat when he was trying to stage a street performance and got in an argument with a cafe worker.

He said the man was caught on video surveillance cameras.

"I am ordering house-by-house searches to verify if the individual is still on Mont Saint-Michel. It's possible that the individual left the Mont with the flux of tourists," Mr Sabathe said.

Mont Saint-Michel, which is surrounded by water at high tide, draws more than a million visitors a year to its 10th century abbey and other sites, making it France's biggest tourist attraction outside Paris.

A police helicopter circled over the peninsula, notably famous for being isolated by high tides, and the surrounding region. A shuttle service official told the Associated Press large crowds were being evacuated or turned away but the mood was calm.

Hotels on the Mont were being evacuated, but its few permanent residents were being told to stay indoors, the site's administrator, Xavier Bailly, told broadcaster France-Bleu from his home.</s>Paris: French authorities said they would reopen Mont Saint-Michel on Sunday after calling off an alert caused by a man threatening the police.

The local government earlier evacuated the major tourist attraction after local bar owner heard the man uttering threats at the site in the northwestern region of Normandy.

Police searched the site but failed to find him, district prefect Jean-Marc Sabathe told the BFM news channel.

"All houses have been checked, all public and private venues were inspected by the police," he said. "I'm almost certain that he's gone."

"End of the operation at Mont Saint-Michel ... All risks have been averted at the site," the local government said on Twitter.

Mont Saint-Michel, which is surrounded by water at high tide, draws more than a million visitors a year to its abbey and other sites, making it France's biggest tourist attraction outside Paris.</s>PARIS (Reuters) - French authorities said they evacuated the major tourist attraction of Mont Saint-Michel after a man threatened police on Sunday.

A local bar owner heard a man uttering threats after he entered the site in the northwestern region of Normandy around 0530 GMT, district prefect Jean-Marc Sabathe told France Info radio.

“For security reasons and in order to clear up any doubt, since we don’t know his aim, I’ve decided to evacuate the Mont,” he said.

Mont Saint-Michel, which is surrounded by water at high tide, draws more than a million visitors a year to its abbey and other sites, making it France’s biggest tourist attraction outside Paris.</s>French authorities have reopened Mont-Saint-Michel abbey to visitors after an earlier evacuation on the famed English Channel site for a visitor who apparently threatened to attack security services.

French authorities have reopened Mont-Saint-Michel abbey to visitors after an earlier evacuation on the famed English Channel site for a visitor who apparently threatened to attack security services.

Mont-Saint-Michel open to visitors again after evacuation over ‘threat’

The site reopened on Sunday afternoon and a trickle of tourists started returning to the Mont across a promontory that connects it to the mainland. Several hours of searching failed to turn up the suspect, and police expanded their search to neighbouring towns, according to the national gendarme service.

Details of Sunday’s threat were unclear, but the gendarme service said authorities ordered the evacuation as a precaution. Police at the scene in front of Mont Saint-Michel (Randall Hackley/AP) During the police operation, at least three police helicopters circling over the peninsula, notably famous for being isolated by high tides.

The hilltop abbey, whose origins date to the 10th century, and surrounding sites attract more than two million visitors every year. Police officers patrolled the steep cobblestone paths leading up to the abbey, packed with restaurants and souvenir shops and normally packed with tourists and pilgrims 365 days a year.

Thousands of people were affected by the evacuation, but the mood was calm. Some tourists were taken out of their hotels, while others were blocked upon arrival.

Their group of 32 was turned back to Paris after being blocked from reaching Mont-Saint-Michel. Tour guide Andrew Rui remained calm, however, noting that the evacuation was prompted by security reasons.

“We cannot control the situation so we accept this phenomenon,” he told the AP. The regional prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the threat, amid contradictory information about what happened.

An official with the national gendarme service said the man made the threat Sunday on one of the shuttles serving the site. The head of the regional administration, Jean-Marc Sabathe, told broadcaster Francetvinfo that the man made the threat when he was trying to stage a street performance and got in an argument with a cafe worker. He said the man was caught on video surveillance cameras.

“I am ordering house-by-house searches to verify if the individual is still on Mont-Saint-Michel. “It’s possible that the individual left the Mont with the flux of tourists,” Mr Sabathe said. Monks and nuns were told to stay inside the abbey during the evacuation, according to the gendarme service, and the Mont’s few other residents were told to stay in their homes.</s>PARIS, April 22 (Reuters) - French authorities said they evacuated the island of Mont Saint-Michel after a man threatened police at the major tourist attraction on Sunday.

A witness heard a man uttering threats after he entered the site in the northwestern region of Normandy around 0530 GMT, district prefect Jean-Marc Sabathe told France Info radio station.

"For security reasons and in order to clear up any doubt, since we don't know his aim, I've decided to evacuate the Mont," he added. (Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry and Yann Le Guernigou Writing by Mathieu Rosemain Editing by Andrew Heavens)</s>PARIS (AP) - France's national police say a 36-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of threatening to attack security services at one of the country's most-visited tourist sites.

Police said the unnamed man was arrested Sunday night in the city of Caen, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Mont-Saint-Michel abbey that was closed earlier that day after death threats were made against security services.

French authorities evacuated tourists after the incident that triggered a regional manhunt, according to the national gendarme service.

Police attend the scene of an evacuation at Mont Saint-Michel, on France's northern coast, Sunday April 22, 2018. Authorities are evacuating tourists and others from the Mont-Saint-Michel abbey and monument in western France after a visitor apparently threatened to attack security services. (Denis Surfys via AP)

The exceptional evacuation of one of France's most-visited tourist sites came after a string of sporadic attacks around France in recent years targeting police, some of them fatal.</s>French authorities said they evacuated the island of Mont Saint-Michel after a man threatened police at the major tourist attraction on Sunday.

A witness heard a man uttering threats after he entered the site in the northwestern region of Normandy around 0530 GMT, district prefect Jean-Marc Sabathe told France Info radio station.

“For security reasons and in order to clear up any doubt, since we don’t know his aim, I’ve decided to evacuate the Mont,” he added.</s>Police evacuated the historic fortified island of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy on Sunday after a man threatened he would kill police at the popular tourist destination.

According to the Ouest-France newspaper, the individual escaped before authorities arrived.

"An individual has entered Mont Saint-Michel. He made fairly specific threats against the police in front of a coffee shop," the gendarmerie told broadcaster France Info.

A local journalist posted unconfirmed images on Twitter of tourists being evacuated and armed police at the abbey.

Police searched houses on the island in the northern region of Normandy, but were unable to find the inidividual, who was heard uttering threats. Local officials said the site was "free of risk" and due to reopen.

"All houses have been checked, all public and private venues were inspected by the police," police district prefect Jean-Marc Sabathe told the BFM news channel. "I'm almost certain that he's gone."

Surrounded by water at high tide, Mont Saint-Michel attracts more than a million visitors a year to its abbey and

 other sites, making it the biggest tourist attraction in France outside Paris.

Read more: France marks three years since Charlie Hebdo attack</s>French authorities ordered tourists and others to leave the Mont Saint-Michel abbey and monument in western France on Sunday after a visitor apparently threatened to attack security services.

The national gendarme service said the man made the threat on one of the shuttles serving the site, on a peninsula in the English Channel. An official with the gendarme service said the threat was vague, but prompted authorities to order an evacuation.

Police are searching for the man who made the threat.

A shuttle service official said large crowds were being evacuated from the tourist attraction or turned away, and a police helicopter is flying overhead, but the atmosphere remained calm.

The site has since reopened.

Mont Saint-Michel, which is surrounded by water at high tide, draws more than a million visitors a year to its abbey and other sites, making it France's biggest tourist attraction outside Paris.
Police evacuate Mont Saint-Michel abbey, a major tourist site, and launch a house-by-house search for a possible terrorist after a visitor is heard shouting "I'm going to kill a cop." The suspect is not found.