French train operator SNCF on Friday said that the country’s high-speed network had been targeted with widespread and “criminal” acts, disrupting travel for hundreds of thousands of people just hours before the grand opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic, according to france 24The Paris prosecutor has opened a probe into a suspected bid to undermine “fundamental national interests”.
France’s high-speed rail network was hit by “malicious acts” including arson attacks that have disrupted the transport system, train operator SNCF said Friday, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
“This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network,” SNCF told AFP, adding that many routes would have to be cancelled.
“SNCF was the victim of several simultaneous malicious acts overnight,” the national train operator said, later adding that vandals had damaged signal boxes along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled.
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“Arson attacks were started to damage our facilities,” it said, and explained that traffic on the affected lines was “heavily disrupted” with many cancellations, and that the situation would last through the weekend as repairs are conducted.
Two security sources said the modus operandi meant initial suspicions fell on leftist militants or environmental activists, but they said there was not yet any evidence.
French officials described the attacks on France’s high-speed rail network as “criminal actions” and said they were investigating whether they were linked to the Olympic Games.
