Hours before the Olympic ceremonies, arson attacks targeted France’s train network

In a series of early-morning attacks around the nation, sabotage artists targeted France’s TGV high-speed train network, causing travel disruptions and revealing security vulnerabilities in advance of Friday’s opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics.

The planned disruption occurred while France, drawing on security resources from all over the nation, launched a massive security operation involving tens of thousands of police and troops to protect the nation’s capital for the athletic spectacle.

Vandals reportedly destroyed signal substations and cables along the lines that connected Paris to places like Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west, and Strasbourg in the east, according to SNCF, the state-owned railway operator. The Paris-Marseille line was protected from another attack.

No one took immediate credit for anything. According to two security sources, the early suspicions were directed towards environmental activists or communist militants due to the modus operandi, but no concrete evidence was provided.

The anti-terrorist sub-directorate (SDAT), a division of the judicial police that normally keeps an eye on radical environmental, hard-left, and extreme-right groups, will be in charge of coordinating the inquiry, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. The office will oversee the investigation through its organized crime unit.
Gabriel Attal, the prime minister, refrained from speculating on the likelihood that these organizations were responsible for the sabotage.

“What we know, what we see, is that this operation was prepared, coordinated, that nerve centers were targeted, which shows a certain knowledge of the network to know where to strike,” he stated.

A sense of unease will grow before the opening ceremony of the Olympics in the center of Paris later on Friday, as a result of the coordinated strikes on the rail system. A bomb alarm caused a brief suspension of operations at the Basel-Mulhouse airport, which is located near France’s border with Switzerland.

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, expressed complete trust in the French government.

Telling reporters at the Olympic Village, “I don’t have concerns,”
As part of a spectacular performance that will be seen by billions, more than 300,000 people are expected to line the banks of the Seine River when the athletes parade through the center of Paris on a flotilla of barges and riverboats.

To protect the opening ceremony of the Games, France has sent out 45,000 police, 10,000 troops, and 2,000 private security guards. Drones will be flying and sharpshooters stationed on roofs.

However, there is less security in other parts of the nation as the capital is under lockdown for the inaugural ceremony.

Numerous stranded

Thousands of people were left stranded at stations as a result of the TGV high-speed train attacks.

Deutsche Bahn in Germany issued a warning about potential disruptions to long-distance services, while Eurostar’s high-speed trains between London and Paris were compelled to switch to slower lines.

All travelers were advised to postpone their travels by the SNCF. Although repairs were in progress, there will be significant traffic disruptions until the end of the weekend.

Xavier Hiegel, 39, claimed he was just trying to return home for the weekend at the Gare de L’Est and that he could not imagine that someone would want to damage the Olympics.

“This is extremely ridiculous because the Games create jobs. He remarked, “I hope the guilty parties are apprehended and dealt with accordingly.

Explosive devices caused fires that affected signaling installations on the Atlantic, Northern, and Eastern high-speed lines, according to the SNCF.

About 800,000 customers had been affected, according to SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou, ahead of a popular weekend for French vacationers. 

Countless railroad employees were dispatched to rectify the harm.

According to Valerie Pecresse, head of the Paris area, “this attack is not a coincidence, it’s an attempt to destabilize France,” she told reporters.

Paris 2024 stated that it was closely collaborating with the SNCF to evaluate the circumstances. Travelers from other parts of France will find it more difficult to get to Paris as a result of the assaults.

Brigitte Dupont, a Parisian, described it as “a disaster.” “Today is the opening of the Olympic Games, a huge event that was supposed to be magnificent, and this is spoiling people’s joy.”