MIAMI, United States. – The French government announced Friday that sabotage had occurred on the high-speed train lines (TGV), just on the opening day of the Olympic Games.
The attacks, which took place between 1:00 and 5:30 in the morning, involved fires in the signalling facilities of the TGV lines, and affected three of the four main lines leaving from Paris.
The president of the Paris region, Valérie Pécresse, described the incident as “an attempt to destabilise France” on a crucial day for the country.
“With this coordinated sabotage of four TGV networks, France is facing an attempt to destabilise the start of the Olympic Games. We ask travellers from the Île-de-France region who need to take a TGV not to go to the station and to wait for personalised information which will be sent to them by SMS.” Pécresse said on social network X.
The national railway company, SNCF, has described the incident as a “massive attack” aimed at paralysing the TGV network. The organisation said that the incident will affect approximately 800,000 passengers in the coming days.
According to the authorities, traffic problems will continue throughout the weekend, coinciding not only with the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Friday 26 July, but also with a key period for departures and arrivals for holidays.
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete condemned the incident as “a scandalous criminal act” and highlighted the “coordination” of the fires, which occurred “at the same time.” According to the official, the perpetrators of the sabotage used incendiary devices and fled in vans.
SNCF President Jean Pierre Farandou, in a joint appearance with the minister, described the sabotage as “an attack on France and the French”.
Farandou also explained that the repairs will be complex, as the fires damaged pipelines with up to 500 electrical and fiber optic cables.
Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said there was no concern for security at the Games following the sabotage. “No, I am not worried. We have full confidence in the French authorities,” Bach said after the Olympic torch relay in the athletes’ village.
Bach stressed that “all measures are being taken and the French authorities are being assisted by 180 other intelligence services around the world.”
