Dozens of police officers swarmed the campus as students ran for their lives in the sick prank at l’Essec, a business school in Cergy, a suburb in northwest Paris.
The yobs ran amok on campus and screamed at the top of their lungs as they ran along the corridors, leading other students to believe a terrorist attack was underway.
Fear spread like wildfire across campus, as students fearful for their lives ran out of their rooms and attempted to flee the hall of residence. Others, convinced armed attackers were roaming around campus, made heart-wrenching calls to their parents.
More than 30 armed police officers rushed to the scene to take out the alleged attackers and secure the area, but soon realised it had been nothing more than a false alarm.
The sick attack is thought to have been part of a freshers’ initiation ceremony.
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Reporting a false attack is a punishable offence in France and, once identified, the students behind the prank could face up to two years in prison and a 30,000 euro (£26,500) fine.
Frédéric Lauze, the head of the local public security division, told French daily La Gazette du Val-d’Oise: “Police officers across France have been mobilised to help deal with the terror threat, it’s not a joke.
“What’s unbelievable is that this prank wasn’t carried out by primary or secondary school students, but by university students… The high terrorist threat to France should not be taken lightly.
“What if a police officer had actually shot someone?”
The pranksters were lucky no one had been injured amid the chaos, and police were taking the case “very seriously”, he said.
Police are now investigating and are appealing for information to identify the individuals involved.