‘Coordinated sabotage’: Arson, ‘other malicious acts’ hit rail lines before Paris Olympics starts

The Paris Olympics have had a rocky start after France’s high-speed train lines were the target of “malicious acts” including arson.

French officials are calling the attacks “coordinated sabotage” that were part of “an attack on France,” CNN reported.

There were no reports of injuries, The Associated Press reported.

Cables were set on fire and taken apart, officials said, but they do not know who carried out the attacks. Sources told CNN that “these methods have been used by the far-left in the past,” but “there is no evidence to tie today’s actions to them.”

Activists have been protesting the Olympic games recently citing the environmental and social impact of the events, as well as including athletes from Israel amid the Gaza war, CNBC reported.

The AP reported that there was no direct link between the attacks and the games.

Railway company SNCF said that “a large number of trains were diverted or canceled.”

One of the attacks was “foiled” when alleged actors were thwarted by SNCF agents.

The attacks came hours before the opening ceremony for the Olympic games in the heart of Paris. It also affected Eurostar services connecting France with the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, CNBC reported. Passengers are being diverted to local lines to get to Paris, which are slower and are adding about an hour and a half to the travel plans.

About 800,000 passengers will be affected by the travel disruptions throughout the weekend.

“We are so sorry to not be able to circulate the trains expected by the French. Today the major departure lines are attacked, an attack on the French,” SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farrandou said, according to NBC News.

The train system was a key in getting spectators to Olympic events including the opening ceremony, which will include a flotilla of boats gliding down the River Seine through Paris. More than 320,000 people were expected to attend the opening event.

The opening ceremony will go on as planned, while organizers said they have “no concerns from their side in light of the overnight events on the train network,” CNN reported.

An investigation is ongoing.

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Paris Olympics Security Trains Train tracks are pictured at the Gare Montparnasse in Paris, France, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) (Martin Meissner/AP)

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