Paris Charles de Gaulle airport has been evacuated after two people with airsoft guns caused panic among passengers. They were promptly arrested.
Two people brandishing airsoft guns sparked panic at Terminal 2 of Paris’ main Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday. The pair didn’t speak French, according to media reports.
Videos posted online show an emptied terminal and police officers – equipped with full gear – going after suspects. Rumors of a terrorist attack quickly spread through social media.
Both men were quickly apprehended by airport security without a shot being fired. The panic was caused by what turned out to be airsoft guns, non-lethal replica weapons that fire plastic balls, according to France Info.
Airport authorities assured the public the incident didn’t endanger anyone at the terminal. It resumed services shortly after the evacuation.
Security at Charles-de-Gaulle has come under intense scrutiny in the past two years. In 2017, an assailant caught a soldier by surprise as he tried to wrestle away her gun. He was eventually shot dead.
Earlier the same year, a British Airways flight was evacuated and searched by airport security. Police later said the incident was a false alarm.
Also on rt.com 17 passengers evade pre-boarding security at Paris Charles de Gaulle airportBack in 2016, it emerged that as many as 17 passengers on an outbound Air Canada flight weren’t screened properly at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, so all travelers had to go through security procedures again when they arrived in Canada.
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