French authorities make arrests following bomb scares, resulting in airport and Versailles evacuations.

French authorities have arrested at least 18 people in response to a series of bomb threats that have resulted in evacuations across the country. The Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, as well as schools, airports, and hospitals have been targeted. The individuals responsible for these disruptions are mostly minors, according to authorities. These bomb threats have occurred in a time of heightened tension in France, following the recent killing of a teacher in Arras by an alleged jihadist. The Palace of Versailles has been evacuated four times this week due to bomb scares, and the Louvre also had to evacuate thousands of visitors. Regional airports, including Lille, Nantes, Nice, and Toulouse, were also evacuated. France raised its counter-terrorism alert level last week after the murder of teacher Dominique Bernard. Multiple schools have been targeted as well, with six high schools in the Toulouse area being evacuated on Thursday alone. The threats have been made through phone calls, emails, and a website launched in 2020 to directly contact police officers. Authorities are now using IP addresses and phone numbers to identify those responsible for the threats. In response to these acts, Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti warned the perpetrators that they would be discovered and punished. It should be noted that making a false bomb threat is a criminal offense in France, carrying a potential sentence of up to three years in prison and a fine of €45,000.