ALBAWABA - Saturday, French officials evacuated the headquarters of France Télévisions, the country's largest public broadcasting group, after a bomb threat led to an immediate security operation in central Paris. The alert, which came through official government channels, led to a quick response from police units with bomb-sniffing dogs.
France Info says that the evacuation started not long after security services were told that there might be an explosive device in the building. Officers blocked off the area while investigators looked into everything, which stopped the broadcaster's live shows and caused problems on its website.
There has been a big rise in bomb threats against important French institutions since late 2023, when France raised its national security alert level. These threats have been aimed at government buildings, airports, schools, and media outlets.
Two weeks earlier, on November 15, the private news channel BFMTV had to move out of its headquarters because it got a bomb threat. For more than two hours, broadcasting was stopped while police searched the area and declared it safe. There were no explosives found.
Security experts have said that French media companies are getting more and more threats, sometimes because of political tensions, false alarms, or attempts to stop operations during sensitive news cycles.
Police are looking into it.
French police haven't said where the threat against France Télévisions came from or if it could be linked to the earlier BFMTV alert. On Saturday night, investigators, including specialized bomb disposal teams, searched the inside of the building while employees stayed outside.
Officials said that the evacuation was done "as a precautionary measure." They stressed that every bomb threat received by a national broadcaster is treated as high-risk because media institutions are very important symbols.
Disruptions to broadcasting and effects on operations
The evacuation caused France Télévisions' programming to be interrupted for a short time, both on TV and online. Viewers said there were sudden stops, reruns, and emergency placeholder screens, just like what happened during the BFMTV evacuation.
France Télévisions, which includes channels like France 2, France 3, and France Info, has not yet said when normal operations will fully resume.
Concerns About Public Safety Continue
France has been on high alert for several years because of a number of security issues, such as threats and hoaxes that are politically motivated. The Ministry of the Interior has repeatedly told people and organizations to report any suspicious activity right away. They have also said that false alarms still waste important resources and cause big problems.
Police had not yet confirmed that a real device was found inside the building as of late Saturday, and the investigation is still going on.
