It was not immediately clear who was behind the suspected attacks and authorities did not announce any arrests. Prosecutors have opened an investigation within the framework of organized crime rather than a counter-terrorism investigation, suggesting that various individuals and groups may be involved.
Former French prime minister and Paris transport chief Jean Castex has ordered a “higher level of alert” across the capital’s transport network. “We are deploying security in all areas,” he said, with a particular focus on “key points in the transport network,” according to France’s national television.
No injuries were reported, but French authorities said the impact on travellers ahead of the Olympics and on the country’s reputation was severe. “The impact on the rail network is huge and serious,” Attal said in a post on X, adding that “our intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been mobilised to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts.”
Despite some rain on Friday night, the Olympics’ glitzy opening ceremony went ahead as scheduled.
Security Key priorities for ParisMost of the preparations have been kept secret, but plans have been announced to deploy 15,000 soldiers, 35,000 police officers and 22,000 private contractors in and around stadiums and sports venues across the country.
The main security concern was expected to be a terrorist attack like those in Paris in 2015 or Nice in 2016, but there was also the fear of a cyberattack. France’s cybersecurity agency quickly issued a statement on Friday saying there was no cyber component to the train disruption.
Russia Paying amateur saboteurs French prosecutors said on Tuesday they had detained a Russian national on suspicion of plotting to cause “destabilization” during the Olympics.
Tensions in the Middle East are also a major factor in security considerations for the Olympics, Armed guards escorting Israeli athletes They will play their first soccer match against Mali on Wednesday. Gaza StripThere have also been online threats against the Israeli team, evoking memories of the terror attacks. Israeli athlete murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
There have been previous suspected arson attacks on rail systems in France and other European countries, usually attributed to criminals and sometimes political activists, but the scale of the incidents and their timing during the Olympic Games have shed new light on the recent incidents.
The French rail network was something of an obvious target ahead of the opening ceremony: In the weeks leading up to the Olympics, SNCF made it impossible to buy tickets to or from Paris this Friday, citing a lack of clarity about security measures.
The apparent sabotage targeted three French high-speed train lines, which were expected to carry around 250,000 people on Friday and 800,000 over the weekend.
So far, the impact on the Olympics appears to be smaller than that on Parisians fleeing the capital to begin their sacred national August holiday tradition.
The last weekend of July is usually one of France’s busiest tourist periods as Parisians head off on holiday, and in a departure from normal years, many visitors are expected to head to the capital in the coming days to watch the opening ceremonies and Olympic events.
“There has been damage and deliberate fires on pipes that carry many signalling cables,” SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farandou told reporters. “We have to repair each cable one by one. It’s a very delicate job.”
Farandou said all repaired signals will need to be tested before rail service can resume, “and that’s going to take time.”
Eurostar is one of the main transport routes from the UK to continental Europe. Delays also announced “Organized acts of vandalism have occurred in France, affecting the high-speed rail service between Paris and Lille,” French Railways said in a statement, adding that trains arriving in France were an hour and a half behind schedule. It advised travellers to postpone travel and said a quarter of train lines had been suspended over the weekend.
“At this stage we are probably seeing one or more acts of vandalism, a kind of organised sabotage,” France’s Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castellas said. Said “Today we will assess the impact on tourists, athletes and this weekend.”
SNCF said it had teams on the scene to assess the problem and begin repairs. “Some trains are being diverted and a number of services have been cancelled,” the company said.
Attal expressed his gratitude to “the firefighters who worked at the scene of the disaster” and “the SNCF staff carrying out the necessary work to restore the network”, as well as to affected travellers “for their patience, understanding and the civic spirit they have shown”.
Héloïse Lucat sat on the floor of Gare Montparnasse, the Paris train station hardest hit by the chaos, with her large suitcase and her three-year-old daughter, Leonie, on the floor in front of her.
They had planned to visit Luca’s mother in the Basque Country during their August holidays, which coincided with the Olympics this year. But overnight chaos meant the 10:15am train was cancelled, leaving Luca desperate to find a bus, car or any other way to get out of Paris. Léonie was keen to see her cousins, Luca says. “We’ll try to find a good solution and see what happens.”
Bisset reported from London. Claire Parker in Paris and Paul Scheme in London contributed to this report.
