The Louvre Museum in Paris received a bomb threat that targeterd the Mona Lisa, among other masterworks, early this past Sunday, according to the French daily Le Figaro.
The threat, written in English, was sent via the museum’s website and reportedly signed by “Pères fondateurs de la Confederation” (Founding Fathers of the Confederation). According to a police source, on Wednesday, Louvre leadership filed a complaint, citing a “threat of attack.” The museum later confirmed the incident to the French news outlet.
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The message was allegedly sent through the website’s general contact form on 3:47 a.m. “We are committed to blowing up the Mona Lisa and many other masterpieces. Just a warning: 100 kg of C4 does a lot of damage,” the criminal wrote. The signature is a reference to the 36 men who in the 19th century represented the colonies of British North America at a series of conferences that culminated in the creation of the country of Canada in 1867.
After receiving the message, the Louvre Museum reportedly requested the active defense and security agent of the Ministry of Culture on duty to search the museum for any objects of suspect; no item was found.
This is not the first time the Louvre has been threatened with explosives. Last October, the storied Paris institution and the Versailles palace—two of the most-visited tourist attractions in the world—were evacuated after receiving bomb threats. According to reports, alarms blared at the Louvre as startled visitors were evacuated from the galleries and the underground shopping center beneath its glass pyramid. Paris police searched the museum top to bottom, but found nothing on the scene, and the museum reopened the following day.
Versailles, the former royal palace of France, was similarly evacuated while authorities examined the premises. Again, the search came up empty.
ARTnews has contacted the Louvre for comment.
Source: artnews.com