Louvre museum in Paris closes ‘for security reasons’

The Louvre in Paris has been closed “for security reasons” on Saturday.

A message on the museums website read: “For safety reasons the museum is closed.

“People who booked a ticket for today will be reimbursed. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.”

It is currently unclear what circumstances led to the closure of the popular tourist spot.

It comes as France increased its security threat level after a secondary school teacher was stabbed to death in a terrorist attack on Friday morning.

British tourists have also been warned to stay away from the scene, in Arras, a town in northern France, by the UK government’s foreign office after the incident.

A police officer stands outside the school. / Credit: AP

Three other people were injured by the knifeman, who launched his assault at his former school, Gambetta high school.

Dominique Bernard, a French language teacher, was identified as the man who had been killed.

The suspect, a Russian man of Chechen decent, thought to be in his 20s, was arrested at around 11am local time (midday BST).

He had been under surveillance by French intelligence services and had been stopped as recently as Thursday.

French anti-terror prosecutors said they were investigating charges including terror-related murder and attempted murder against the suspect.

They said they were leading the investigation amid soaring global tensions over the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza after Hamas terrorists launched a fatal, surprise attack on Israel over the weekend.