Bomb Squad Search Car in French Capital, No Threat Found

Bomb Squad Search Car in French Capital, No Threat Found
Paris police bomb squad and sniffing dog inspect a car in Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, France, on Sept. 16, 2018. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
Reuters
9/16/2018
Updated:
9/16/2018

PARIS—French police closed off part of the Champs Elysees boulevard in the capital on Sept. 16 as bomb disposal officers used a sniffer dog and robot to investigate a suspicious vehicle, before determining there was no security threat.

A Reuters photographer said police cordoned off the avenue close to the Arc de Triomphe and that onlookers had been kept 150 meters (492 feet) from the scene.

Paris police bomb squad and sniffing dog inspect a car in Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, France, on Sept. 16, 2018. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
Paris police bomb squad and sniffing dog inspect a car in Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, France, on Sept. 16, 2018. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

With its luxury boutiques and terraced cafes, the Champs Elysees is a major draw for tourists and was the site of two attacks on French security forces last year.

A Paris police spokeswoman said the investigation was complete.
Paris police bomb squad inspects a car in Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, France, on Sept. 16, 2018. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
Paris police bomb squad inspects a car in Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, France, on Sept. 16, 2018. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
In June 2017, a man rammed a car carrying weapons and explosives into a police van as it drove in a convoy down the boulevard. Two months earlier that year, a gunman shot dead a policeman on the Champs Elysees in an attack claimed by the ISIS terrorist group.

The streets of the French capital were closed to traffic from 11:00 on Sept. 16 for a no-car day in the city.

By Antony Paone