Lights out for Eiffel Tower in solidarity with London

"Tonight, at 12:45 am, I will turn my lights off to pay tribute to the victims of the London attack," the Eiffel Tower's Twitter feed said.

The gesture was largely welcomed, as many mourned the victims. Many others pointed out that the Eiffel Tower has been turned off too often recently, with the rise of tragedies in this world.

People also replied to the tweet, saying turning off the lights "will not end terrorism", though many were quick to defend the Paris gesture.

"'Lighting up the Eiffel Tower won't stop terror.' It's a sign of solidarity/respect for London. It's much more helpful than your negativity", one Twitter user said.

The Paris landmark has been switched off twice already this week, once for the victims of suicide blasts in Baghdad that killed at least 42 people and most recently to honour the 90 people killed in a huge truck bomb in Kabul.

Towards the end of last month, the Eiffel Tower also turned its lights off in respect for those killed in Egypt’s attack when masked gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians.

Saturday's attack was the third terrorist incident to hit the UK in three months.

It had harrowing echoes of the one on London's Westminster Bridge in March, when British Muslim convert Khalid Masood rammed his car into pedestrians before crashing into the barriers surrounding parliament.