PARIS, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- France was already on high alert before reports this week of a threat of "Mumbai-style" attacks because of threats from a North African group.
The terror alert level is at "red plus," The Christian Science Monitor reported. Under the French system, that is the second-highest level.
Both the Eiffel Tower and the Gare St Lazare, Paris's second busiest train station, were evacuated this week.
While the reports Tuesday of an Osama bin Laden-backed plan to attack soft targets in Britain, France and Germany came from Afghanistan, French security's major concern had been al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. In July, French commandos unsuccessfully tried to free a kidnapping victim held by the group, and this month five more French nationals were kidnapped in Niger.
The Gare St. Lazare was evacuated Monday afternoon. The station has long-distance rail service to Normandy and many commuter lines and is also a major node in the Metro system.
The evacuation Tuesday evening at the Eiffel Tower, Paris's most visible landmark, was the second in just over two weeks. Police said they received specific bomb threats, although no explosives were found.
