26/07/24
Olympic 'sabotage': Arsonists target Paris games with attacks on high-speed rail routes
Arsonists have carried out attacks on France's high-speed train network causing major travel disruption ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
With the games set to get under way amid an unprecedented peacetime security operation, the state-owned railway operator SNCF said fires had been set at installations along the lines connecting the capital with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in west and Strasbourg in the east.
It said timetables would be severely impacted over the weekend and has urged all travellers to postpone their journeys.
Eurostar has told customers to cancel their trips if they can, amid ongoing disruption to its services.
Travellers at St Pancras international terminal had been informed there was a problem with overhead power supplies.
In an update to the earlier statement where it said trains had been affected by "coordinated acts of malice in France", the operator said: "We encourage our customers to postpone their trip if possible."
The disruption has particularly affected Paris's major Montparnasse station.
Services between France and Germany have also been affected with cancellations and delays.
France's intelligence and security forces have been "mobilised" in response to the arson attacks, according to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
Speaking to Sky News, the country's sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said: "It's probably a large-scale sabotage."
She added the "malicious acts" were "probably coordinated".
Ms Oudea-Castera went on: "I'm angry and stressed. We are not going to let ourselves be destabilised by this."
When pressed if it could be the work of terrorists or even another nation, she said "possibly" before pointing out it could also have been caused by protestors.
She added: "At the moment, we don't know. It could be French people. What's clear is that they are playing against the athletes."
Transport minister Patrice Vergriete said in a post on X that he "firmly condemns these criminal incidents" and that SNCF was working to restore services.
SNCF said in a statement: "Last night, the SNCF was victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines.
"Fires were deliberately set to damage our installations."
As well as people traveling to the Olympics, many families on both sides of the Channel were also heading on summer holidays on Friday.
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