A 16-year-old student was arrested over a hoax bomb threat on the outskirts of Paris, police sources said Friday, as French authorities faced a week of bomb threats at airports, schools and other landmarks.
The series of bomb threats that turned out to be false have hit a country on high alert since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the subsequent war in Gaza and the fatal stabbing of a teacher in the northern city of Arras. last week.
The teenager was arrested on Thursday in connection with a bomb threat sent by email in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, a city northwest of Paris.
About 1,200 people, including about a thousand students, were evacuated from Jean Perrin High School where the suspect attended.
An investigation at the scene found no explosives and the exact reason that led the teen to make a bomb threat remains unclear.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said authorities made 18 arrests on Wednesday and Thursday following false bomb threats.
Most major French airports outside Paris were targeted, leading to evacuations, hours-long delays and dozens of canceled flights.
Last Friday, French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said that 22 investigations had been launched following false alarms. “It is clear that there will be convictions, we cannot let this happen,” says the government official to broadcaster RTL.
Dupond-Moretti reiterated his promise to crack down on “little jokers who have no sense of responsibility.”
“Parents must be present and I remind you that it is the parents who will bear the financial consequences,” Dupond-Moretti added.
Violators risk two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau warned that the punishment could be even harsher, adding that such bomb threats will now be considered a form of premeditated “psychological violence.”
Speaking to French newspaper Le Parisien, Beccuau said this type of crime could be punishable by three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. “The minors will be brought before a juvenile court judge,” Beccuau added.
Source: DN
