French high-speed train lines sabotaged intentionally as terror threat looms over Paris before the Olympics opening ceremony

The attack was planned and executed in a coordinated manner on France’s national rail network SNFC. 

French high-speed train lines sabotaged intentionally as terror threat looms over Paris before the Olympics opening ceremony

Paris Olympics 2024 (Via NPR)

France appears to be dealing with a crisis. On the morning of Friday, high-speed train lines were attacked by multiple counts of criminal vandalism, causing havoc for thousands of passengers. The target of these malicious acts was not France as a whole, but Paris– the city hosting the Olympic Games 2024. 

Fortunately, no injuries have been reported yet except for the loss of time for thousands of travelers who had to postpone their trips. In the official statement released on social media, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal assured that France’s law enforcement agencies and the intelligence services have been “mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators” of these criminal acts. 

YouTube video

Prime Minister Attal labeled this incident “acts of sabotage,” which were planned and executed in a coordinated manner on France’s national rail network SNFC. 

FS Video

While speaking to SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou, it was found that cables meant to ensure train drivers’ safety were disabled at three locations and set on fire. The methods of vandalism had been used previously but in way too deep pages of history and there’s no evidence tying those with today. 

French Rail Network sabotaged by criminal acts of vandalism
French Rail Network sabotaged by criminal acts of vandalism (Via KVIA)

While the organizers of the Paris Olympic Games are assessing the incident, the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation and detailed four different charges, including participating in organized crime. So far, no arrests have been made. 

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French train lines paralyzed by arson attacks

It was revealed that the Atlantic, Northern, and Eastern high-speed lines were mainly impacted by this incident and have caused damage to several of its facilities. 

We are absolutely sorry that we are not able to run the trains expected by the French people. Today, it is the big departures that are being attacked, it is the French that are being attacked.
The SNFC chief executive told French broadcaster BFMTV
France high-speed train lines disrupted
French high-speed train lines disrupted (Via CNN)

These coordinated “malicious” acts affected up to 25,000 travelers before the opening of the grand Olympic Games and are expected to impact over 800,000 over the weekend as the trains are not able to run. One in the four Eurostar trains is said to be cancelled for today and the weekend due to the damaged caused by arson. 

These attacks took place between 1 am to 5:30 am this morning and were done with the intention of causing massive damage to the country’s rail network.

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