Hunt continues for ‘three terror suspects’ after heavily armed cops failed to find them during lockdown of Gare Du Nord train station
Police confirmed no arrests were made and the busy station was reopened by 2am local time
THREE "terror suspects" remain at large after heavily armed cops failed to make any arrests during a lockdown of one of Europe's busiest train stations.
Gare du Nord station in Paris was evacuated for more than two hours overnight on Monday as police from Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) launched a major search operation for the wanted men.
Le Parisien reported the “three dangerous men” had been spotted in Paris, Marseille and Bordeaux - sparking the huge police hunt.
Officers are said to have emptied the train of more than 200 people that was arriving from the northern town of Valenciennes as they searched for the trio, whose profiles were apparently flagged to French security chiefs by a "partner country" on Friday.
Unconfirmed reports suggested two of the three men being hunted were Belgian nationals while the other was from Afghanistan.
Paris police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert later confirmed the operation was aimed at "removing doubt" and ended with no arrests.
Video and pictures posted on social media showed heavily armed cops charging through the station and closing off the front of the building at around 11pm local time.
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Witnesses also spoke of being told to run amid panic and confusion at what was going on.
Dave James Phillips, a 39-year-old British technology consultant, said he was getting off the last train in from London when he saw officers flooding the station.
He said: “There were police immediately, and a chap with his hand on his gun.
"As we were walking down the platform, one came down and said, 'Rapide, rapide! Out, out!'"
Phillips said police kept pouring into the station as passengers were hurried out and police buses and unmarked cars were "driving quite dramatically up the road".
Another witness named only as Benjamin, 29, was quoted in local media as saying he had just got off a train from Lille at 11.15pm when cops "asked us to leave the station fast".
He said: "As we were going towards the metro, we crossed paths with a more heavily-armed police unit."
He described how "people around us started to panic, shout and run towards the metro exits" in the ensuing chaos.
By 1.30am, the operation appeared to be winding down, with police on the outskirts of the cordon around the station beginning to pack up and the cordon was gradually pared back.
Police later tweeted: "Checking complete, gradual return to normal."
The station was the scene of a similar panic last month when a man wielding a knife was arrested by armed cops.
France is under a state of emergency imposed after a series of Islamic extremist attacks.
The operation came the day after a tense and closely watched presidential election that was won by independent Emmanuel Macron.
He has said one of his top priorities will be ensuring France's security.
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