BREAKING: Eiffel Tower closed after terror suspect spotted with backpack

originally posted by: asen_y2k

originally posted by: AdmireTheDistance

originally posted by: asen_y2k
a reply to: AdmireTheDistance


I think I read somewhere that it was a known terrorist. But I could be wrong.

I hope so, otherwise this is just stupid.

Very true. Being dark skin and carrying a bag can get you killed. Shot by police. This is becoming a very paranoid world.

I went to the link and read the article. No mention of dark skin, just described as a "man". Why bring race into it? The article didn't mention any race at all.

three

"There were reports of three people climbing the tower from the outside from about 5.30 am," said a police source.

better safe then sorry, I guess.

originally posted by: dreamingawake
Three suspects reported now...

PARIS: The Eiffel Tower was shut to all visitors on Sunday after three "terrorist suspects" with "large rucksacks" were seen ascending France's most popular tourist attraction.

One source

That makes me think, even more, it was skydivers looking for a nice jump. It has happened before and from time to time from sky scrapers in different countries. Thrill seekers always love a new spot to make headlines from. Looks like these guys got scared off from the police from actually making the jump though.

The only thing I really find odd, if there were three of them with large rucksacks that were that easily spotted, then why were they not spotted on their way back down?

But after a search which went on all morning it was thought they had escaped via parachute - prompting a theory that they had been extreme sportsmen all along.

Source

Found this was added after a bit, these guys are gonna get themselves killed without even jumping someday. This isn't the kinda world to be basejumping without proper ok, it's very likely to get them shot rather than arrested.

It's back open now:

The tower finally re-opened at around 2pm, following a closure of more than five hours which is likely to have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost revenue. Police were meanwhile 'searching Paris', for the culprits, said the source.

originally posted by: Tranceopticalinclined

But after a search which went on all morning it was thought they had escaped via parachute - prompting a theory that they had been extreme sportsmen all along.

Source

Found this was added after a bit, these guys are gonna get themselves killed without even jumping someday. This isn't the kinda world to be basejumping without proper ok, it's very likely to get them shot rather than arrested.

I don't understand how they can miss 3 guys jumping from the tower and parachutes opening? It isn't that tall and they would have to almost immediately open their chutes....sounds strange to me.

I found more information on the site of a French newspaper (I always prefer local sources).

Apparently, three men were seen on the security monitors climbing the tower around 5:30 am. They had backpacks and harnesses.

Police patrols and the Tower security services were put on alert. A thorough search was undertaken stage by stage with the support of an anti-explosive police dog team, while a Civil Security helicopter was called in as reinforcement to fly over the Champ de Mars at 11 hours. Equipped with a thermal camera, the machine failed to locate these ghostly intruders whose motives are ignored.

Source (in French)
www.lefigaro.fr...

If I saw someone climb the Eiffel Tower with a ruck sack I would assume base jumper not terrorist.

originally posted by: woodwardjnr
If I saw someone climb the Eiffel Tower with a ruck sack I would assume base jumper not terrorist.

Same, and I'd probably hang around to wait so I saw them jump. Cool as, terrorist would be way down the list of my thoughts but hey, I don't live in a capital city so my paranoia spidey senses are not on state of alert red.

a reply to: grainofsand reading the Figueroa article, suggests it might have been an extreme sportsman

www.lefigaro.fr...

originally posted by: AdmireTheDistance
So was this guy already a "terror suspect", or he is only a "terror suspect" for having the audacity to wear a backpack whilst visiting a tourist attraction?

He has A BACKPACK, dammit!
We.Are.Doomed.

I just checked two French papers online, Le Monde and Libération. Neither of them mention this incident.

The whole of France is on high alert with several recent attacks and the immigrant crisis, so folks are probably on edge -- especially the police.

a reply to: antoinemarionette

Le Monde has the news, it was one of the sources I saw some hours ago, here.

If you notice, the French sources do not talk about terrorists.

a reply to: ArMaP

Merci pour l'article !

What I find most suspicious is that 3 people would be on the Eiffel Tower at 5 AM - there are specific opening and closing hours, and I doubt that it is open at that time.

They were right to question it.

originally posted by: DAVID64
Hopefully this is just a false alarm. I'd think if some group wanted to do real damage, such as taking the tower down, they'd go for one of the legs.

You are assuming islamists are bright.

Fortunately for us, so far, islamists have demonstrated moron-level IQ

So what did they actually find in his pack?

His sandwich lunch pack and an alarm clock...I think the end just dawned on us..

Peace

I don't think searching for him was irrational.

-They're on high alert for terrorist attacks, in which the Eiffel Tower has been threatened specifically.

-The person (s) were seen climbing it wearing backpacks at a time that the tower is not open to tourists - so they were obivously not tourists with a lunch sack.

- Even if they were base jumpers, that is illegal! One man already died doing base jumping off the Eiffel Tower. The authorities were criticized for not having caught him before he did it.

Whether it was a base jumper, a curious tourist, or a terrorist, they were breaking the law, putting either themselves of others in danger, and the authorities were justified in trying to catch them.
(which they didn't, by the way)

So, these guys were never found? If they were successful base jumpers, hundreds (possibly thousands) of people would have seen them jump. If they didn't, where are they? If they were wearing backpacks on the way down, why weren't they detained at the bottom? If they weren't wearing backpacks on the way down, then where are those backpacks now? Were they discovered and removed from the scene??

originally posted by: Mogget
So, these guys were never found? If they were successful base jumpers, hundreds (possibly thousands) of people would have seen them jump.

At 5:30 AM?

a reply to: Mogget

these are good questions...