By James Myers, OAN Staff
Friday, July 26, 2024 11:55 AM
With the Olympics looming, an arsonist attacked France’s high-speed rail network on Friday morning, starting a fire and halting Paris-bound trains carrying more than 800,000 passengers from across Europe, including athletes who were arriving for the Olympic opening ceremony.
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The apparently coordinated attack, targeted far from the capital, aimed to cut off rail lines into the city from all directions, setting ablaze a pipe carrying vital signalling cables for the system known as the TGV.
The fire broke out before dawn near three railway tracks, causing chaos, while a separate arson attempt in Verginy was thwarted after railway staff chased away several suspects.
according to CNNIntelligence agencies said “these tactics have been used by far-left groups in the past” but “there is no evidence linking them to today’s actions.”
Soon after, French authorities condemned the attack as a “criminal act” but claimed there was no indication of a direct link to the Olympics.
Axel Persson, leader of the CGT rail union, said there appeared to be someone behind the attack with very “precise information” and that the attack appeared to have been launched.
Jean-Pierre Farandou, CEO of national rail company SNCF, said it was a “planned, calculated and coordinated attack” that showed “the intention to cause serious harm” to the French people, adding that “the locations were specifically chosen to cause the most severe impact, as each fire cut off two lines.”
Paris prosecutors have launched a national investigation, saying the crime could carry a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years.
No injuries were reported and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the damage would not affect the opening ceremony.
“Paris 2024 is aware of the incident affecting the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern lines of the SNCF rail network,” event organizers said in a statement. “We are working closely with our partner, the rail operator SNCF, to assess the situation.”
However, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach told the media: BBC He said he was not worried and had “full confidence in the French authorities.”
France’s Transport Minister Patrice Verglietteté also said train services would resume in the afternoon, particularly on the Atlantique line, which had been completely halted.
The opening ceremony is expected to draw more than 300,000 spectators to the banks of the Seine as athletes arrive in Paris on barges and riverboats.
France has also beefed up security for the Olympics opening ceremony, deploying 45,000 police officers, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security guards, including anti-sniper rifles on rooftops and drone operators providing aerial surveillance.
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