World

Man arrested at Disneyland Paris ‘with guns and Koran'

Visitors walking toward the Sleeping Beauty's Castle, background, at Disneyland Paris in Marne la Vallee, east of Paris, France. Picture by Michel Euler, PA  
Visitors walking toward the Sleeping Beauty's Castle, background, at Disneyland Paris in Marne la Vallee, east of Paris, France. Picture by Michel Euler, PA   Visitors walking toward the Sleeping Beauty's Castle, background, at Disneyland Paris in Marne la Vallee, east of Paris, France. Picture by Michel Euler, PA  

A MAN with two handguns and a Koran has been detained along with his female partner at Disneyland Paris, police said.

No one was hurt in the incident on Thursday and the park, Europe's most-visited tourist attraction, remained open after the arrests.

They come as France remains on edge and under a state of emergency after Islamic extremist attacks around Paris in November that killed 130 people.

The man (28), was detained at the New York Hotel, part of the Disneyland complex, according to a police official.

The man's motives for trying to enter the hotel with weapons were unclear.

His partner was detained later at the park, the official said.

The woman did not appear to be armed and no other suspects are currently being pursued, the official said.

Employees at the New York Hotel and several others around Disneyland Paris said they continued functioning as usual after the arrest.

The man was stopped by security staff when his bag passed through an X-ray machine at Disneyland Paris's New York Hotel.

He is not known to security services and gave no resistance when he was arrested, according to reports.

Francois Banon, a spokesman for Disneyland Paris, said: "During a routine security screening checkpoint at one of our hotels, weapons were discovered in a guest's luggage through our X-ray machine.

"The police were immediately notified and the individual was arrested. We continue to work closely with the authorities, and the safety and security of our guests and cast members is our utmost priority."

Nobody was hurt in the incident, which happened at the entrance to the four-star New York Hotel.

French newspaper Le Parisien said the man - who is reportedly of European origin - had booked a room for two people and his vehicle had been sealed off.

The park, east of the French capital, closed briefly after the November 13, 2015 attacks.

The resort officially opened in 1992 under the name Euro Disney, the park quickly began to attract millions of visitors from around the world.

By 2001, it had been visited by 100 million people, and 10 years later more than 250 million have passed through its gates, according to its website.

In 1994 it officially became Disneyland Resort Paris and the following year its famed rollercoaster Space Mountain was opened.

On top of the attractions, the park's income is bolstered by 64 shops, 67 restaurants and seven hotels and according to figures from 2015, each guest spends about €50 s (£38) once inside the park .

Located 20 miles (32 km) outside of Paris, the theme park covers nearly 5,000 acres and is directly served by the Eurostar.

Its blend of fantasy and thrill-seeking requires more than 55,000 staff, with almost 15,000 employed on-site alone, its figures say.

However, despite being one of Europe's most popular resorts, Disneyland Paris has struggled to make any profit since opening.

It was forced to negotiate a €1 billion (£763 million) debt restructuring deal in 2014.

It has also seen its number of visitors drop considerably in recent years. In 2014, more than a million fewer people were visiting than in 2012, their annual reports showed.

After France, most visitors to the park come from the UK, making up 14% of their guests in 2013.