France Railway Targeted by Arsonists Hours Before Opening Ceremony
OAN Staff James Meyers
11:55 AM – Friday, July 26, 2024
As the Olympics are set to begin, arsonists attacked France’s high-speed rail network Friday morning, setting fires that stalled train travel to Paris for over 800,000 people across Europe, including athletes who were set to arrive for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
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Targeting remote locations from the capital, the apparently coordinated attacks sought to cut off rail routes into the city from all directions. The fires were set in pipes containing critical signaling cables for the system known as TGV.
The blazes were reported before dawn near the tracks on three separate lines, causing chaos. Another arson attempt, in Vergigny, was stopped by rail agents who scared off multiple suspects.
According to CNN, intelligence services said 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.”
French officials condemned the attacks as “criminal actions,” but they said there was no sign of a direct link to the games.
It did seem likely that the attack was done by someone who had very “precise information” that was behind the attack according to Axel Persson, a leader of the CGT rail union.
It was “a premeditated, calculated, coordinated attack” that indicates “a desire to seriously harm” the French people, the CEO of the national railway company SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, said, adding that “the places were especially chosen to have the most serious impact, since each fire cut off two lines.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Paris opened a national investigation, saying the crimes could carry a sentencing of 10 to 20 years.
Additionally, there were no known reports of injuries, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the damage would not affect the opening ceremony.
“Paris 2024 has taken note of incidents affecting the Atlantic, North and East lines of the SNCF rail network,” the Games’ 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 outlet BBC he was not worried and that he had “full confidence in the French authorities.”
France’s Transport Minister, Patrice Vergriete, said train traffic would resume in the afternoon, especially on the Atlantique line, which had been completely halted.
The opening ceremony expects to have over 300,000 spectators top line the banks of the Seine when the athletes make their way into Paris on floats of barges and riverboats.
Furthermore, France has also put in place 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security agents to legitimize security in the Games’ opening ceremony. Snipers will also be on rooftops and drones keeping watch from the air.
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