Saboteurs Strike French Rail Network Before Paris Olympics: A Prelude to Chaos

Unidentified saboteurs targeted France's train network with pre-dawn attacks, causing severe travel disruptions just before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. Explosive devices set fire to signalling infrastructure on multiple lines, impacting hundreds of thousands of travelers. The perpetrators remain unknown, with leftist militants or environmental activists suspected.

Unidentified saboteurs struck France's train network in a series of pre-dawn attacks across the country on Friday, leading to significant travel disruptions just hours before the Paris Olympics' opening ceremony. The attacks exposed critical security gaps.

Explosive devices ignited fires on signalling infrastructure on three major railway lines into Paris, affecting routes from cities like Lille, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg, according to the rail operator SNCF. An attack on the Paris-Marseille line was thwarted. Engineers were seen repairing charred cables in signal substations.

No group has claimed responsibility. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal urged caution, stating it was too early to speculate on the perpetrators. Initial suspicions pointed towards leftist militants or environmentalists, though no evidence has confirmed this. The Paris prosecutor's office has launched an investigation, overseen by the organized crime office and anti-terrorist sub-directorate.

The attacks disrupted travel for approximately 800,000 passengers, including those on Eurostar's high-speed services and Germany's Deutsche Bahn. With France's security forces heavily concentrated in Paris for the Olympics' opening ceremony, the incidents highlight vulnerabilities in national security.

(With inputs from agencies.)