Following a well-thought-out strategy, saboteurs crippled a large portion of the train network on Friday as the Olympic Games got underway, prompting French rail officials to warn of travel disruption for hundreds of thousands of commuters over the course of the weekend.
The fire attacks on cabling boxes at intersections deliberately selected to the north, southwest, and east of the capital, where the Olympics opening ceremony was held on Friday night, were not immediately attributed to anyone. A fourth attempt to disable safety equipment was foiled by rail workers.
It was referred to as a “massive attack” by SNCF rail.
“Our intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilised to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal posted on X, calling the attacks “prepared and coordinated acts of sabotage”.
There were several delays and cancellations of services from Paris to most of France.
About 25% of the trains that the Eurostar corporation ran between London, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam were discontinued. About 25% of the trains were expected to be canceled over the weekend, and there would be delays on all routes.
Keir Starmer, the prime minister of Great Britain, was forced to take an airplane rather than a high-speed train to the Olympic ceremonies. According to SNCF, four special trains carrying Olympic athletes—including a few members of the US team—to Paris had left.
Since the commencement of the Olympics coincides with one of France’s busiest vacation travel weekends, SNCF announced that around 25% of trains on the affected routes will be canceled on Saturday and Sunday. Any trains that operate will be delayed.
The company said thousands of staff worked to repair the damage and try to get services running again. It estimated that about 250,000 passengers were affected on Friday. Junior transport minister Patrice Vergriete said 800,000 could face the fallout over the three days.
The coordinated attacks were staged at 4:00 am (0200 GMT).
At each site, the perpetrators targeted fibre optic cables that carry safety information for drivers and control rail changes, SNCF chief executive Jean-Pierre Farandou said.
Gerard Due, mayor of Croisilles in northern France, one of the sites hit, said the attackers had specialised equipment to access the cables and then “threw a flammable liquid” on them.
Vergriete said that the saboteurs had been spotted with “vans”, while “incendiary devices were found at the scene”.
Paris prosecutors opened an investigation into attacks on “the fundamental interests of the nation” and criminal conspiracy.
A similar sabotage attack was staged in Germany last year and in eastern France in January 2023.
The attacks left passengers stranded in stations across Paris and in many cities in eastern, western and northern France.
Some at Montparnasse station in Paris were left in tears.
Charles Fazio, a 70-year-old American from Florida, went to the station to try to get information. “I don’t understand anything,” he said. “We have to go to Lille tomorrow for the Olympics”.
In order to prevent assaults at the Paris Olympics, French security forces are operating at maximum alertness.
One attack attempt was foiled near Vergigny, southeast of Paris, by workers performing maintenance.
The identification of the saboteurs remained a subject of controversy for French officials.
extreme left Arson assaults against the train network is a longstanding tactic used by French anarchists. A security source told AFP that the arson technique was similar to previous attacks carried out by radical left extremists.
Russia intended to attack the Games, according to statements made by President Emmanuel Macron in the past. This week, in Paris, police detained a Russian man on suspicion of “organizing events likely to lead to destabilization during the Olympic Games.”
