False Alarm: French Police Respond to 'Bomb Threat' Report at High School in Mulhouse

French police have reported a "false alarm" at a Mulhouse high school, eastern France after speculations about a hostage crisis and an explosive device emerged in media.

According to media reports, the school authorities and local police received two calls about a bomb in the facility and a "group of several armed individuals," at around 15:30 pm local time.

Upon the arrival, the police placed a cordon around the school, while students of the two classes weren't able to leave the building after the evacuation was declared.

#Mulhouse Des Images du lycée Roosevelt #Mulhouse où à lieu un prise d'otages au 2ème étage

pic.twitter.com/FI7O1iG911

— BBR#JaimeMaFrance ✊🇫🇷❤️ (@BBR4369) 6 ноября 2019 г.

Later on, local authorities said via Twitter that the bomb alert was false and slammed those responsible for it.

Vers 15h30, les services de #police ont été informés d’une #alerte au lycée #Roosevelt de #Mulhouse.
🗞️Le préfet remercie les forces de police pour leur intervention rapide et efficace. Il dénonce le comportement irresponsable de l’auteur de cette fausse alerte. pic.twitter.com/1ePp8hHXyY

— Préfet du Haut-Rhin (@Prefet68) 6 ноября 2019 г.

​In June, a hostage incident occurred in the Conde-sur-Sarthe prison in the northwestern French department of Orne. A 35-year old prisoner kept a warden hostage, using a self-made weapon. The prisoner had been demanding to be relocated to another facility.