https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13676401/France-HUMILIATED-Paris-Olympics-opening-day-disaster-embarrassed-world-host-Games-arson-attack-travel-chaos.html
Olympics opening day shambles - arson attack on French rail network causes travel chaos
- French intelligence services are scrambling to determine sabotage perpetrators
- Chaos as arson attack hits Paris rail network
Railway executive Patrick Mercier, 51 his wife Angelique, 50, and their daughters Eva, 17, and Chloe, 21
Passengers wait for their train at the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris as France's high-speed rail network was hit by malicious acts disrupting the transport system hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games
SNCF employees and French gendarmes inspect the scene of an attack on the high speed railway network at Croiselles, northern France on July 26, 2024
Gendarmes outside the Gare Du Nord train station in Paris, France, after 'malicious acts' severely disrupted travel across the country
Railway executive Patrick Mercier, 51, told how he and his family had been looking forward to watching the opening ceremony at home after returning from holiday.
But now they are stranded in Paris, with all trains to Bordeaux, where they live, cancelled. He lamented: 'This is not the way we want the rest of the world to see France.'
Officials are now scrambling to bring the situation under control and determine who the perpetrators of the sabotage are, with no claim of responsibility having yet been made, and French authorities so far refusing to officially name any suspects.
French intelligence services are looking into strong leads that far-left or environmentalist protesters were behind the massive 'coordinated arson attack' on rail installations across the country.
The methods used resemble those used by such radical groups in the past, a security source claimed - though analysts also fear Russia could be responsible.
French military personnel patrol outside Gare du Nord station in Paris after a 'coordinated' attack on rail infrastructure
Charred cables near a railway line in Courtalain after the arson'attacks on French rail infrastructure
Rail passengers queue up at Eurostar rail terminal at St. Pancras International station in London
Preliminary evidence in the investigation shows that strategic points of the network were targeted, indicating that the perpetrators had a detailed knowledge of the network, according to investigators.
This raises questions over whether there was someone inside France's rail operator, the SNCF, involved in the attack, French media reports.
In further disruption to travel as international visitors descend on France, a Franco-Swiss airport was temporarily evacuated for security reasons.
EuroAirport, located on the French side of the border near Basel, said on its website that it had reopened and flight operations were gradually restarting.
As well as fingers being pointed at far-left groups, experts have suggested a correlation between acts of sabotage and Russian fury over their national team being excluded from the games.
Security analyst Alex Kokcharov told MailOnline: 'Russia has both the intent and capability to attempt sabotage acts in Europe, especially in France. Russian intent is largely linked to the fact that Russia was not invited to the Olympic games.'
The Eurostar is advising passengers not to travel today after its rail services between London and Paris were disrupted by the acts of vandalism, with trains cancelled and others diverted, causing disruption at London St Pancras and across France.
'It is sabotage,' Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said to the press, after a meeting with the King of Spain Felipe VI. 'What happened is unacceptable.'
France's former ambassador to Moscow, Jean de Gliniasty, said Russia could very well be behind the sabotage, but also pointed to the possibility of far-left protesters being to blame.
He said that the involvement of left-wing radicals could not be ruled out, arguing that protests in the country have 'got out of hand' in recent years.
Mr de Gliniasty added in an interview with LCI: 'We are obviously in a situation of conflict with Russia, and Russia is obviously not going to do anything, and that is an understatement, to help these Olympic Games be a success.
'And so we're going to come up against a lot of difficulties of this kind, either direct or indirect.'
It was warned back in April that Moscow has made 'thousands' of attempts to interfere with European rail networks in a campaign to destabilise the EU and sabotage infrastructure.
Passengers wait for their train departures at the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris on July 26, 2024 as France's high-speed rail network was hit by malicious acts disrupting the transport system
Passengers queue at the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras station in central London
The Czech Republic's transport minister Martin Kupka, said that 'thousands of attempts to weaken our systems' had been made since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A Russian spy was arrested on Wednesday.
Kirill Gryaznov was charged with working 'with a foreign power to try and incite hostilities in France' after being identified as working for the FSB, Vladimir Putin's domestic intelligence agency.
The 40-year-old reality TV star had boasted about turning the start of the Paris Olympics into 'an opening ceremony like no other'.
Iran was to blame for the sabotage on Friday, said Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz.
'The sabotage of railway infrastructure across France ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics was planned and executed under the influence of Iran's axis of evil and radical Islam.'
'As I warned my French counterpart this week, based on information held by Israel, Iranians are planning terrorist attacks against the Israeli delegation and all Olympic participants. Increased preventive measures must be taken to thwart their plot. The free world must stop Iran now - before it's too late.'
Macron met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog today, as Israel's foreign minister claimed Iran was behind the attack on French rail infrastructure
Pictures showed chaos at railway stations across Paris, as well as travelers hoping to head to the French capital from London being stranded at St Pancras.
The Gare du Nord – the main Eurostar station in Paris – was hit by attacks on its rail network overnight, according to a spokesman for SNCF.
This caused the cancellation of multiple services, including ones meant to be bringing sports fans from London into the French capital, with thousands of UK travellers planning to head to Paris today for the opening ceremony.
Analysts have warned in the run up to the event that Russian saboteurs were preparing to disrupt the Games, which their national team is shut out of.
Kokcharov, a Russia analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said that recent activity suggests 'intensifying Russia-linked hybrid warfare operations in Europe'.
He pointed to the arrest of a suspected IED plotter, a Russian-Ukrainian man, on June 3 near Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport as revealing 'possible tactics of Russian state-directed terrorism risks' on the continent.
Passengers inside Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean station after threats against France's high-speed TGV network
A French gendarme walks on a platform near an InOui high-speed TGV train at the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris
Travelers stranded at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris
Experts say it is clear that 'Russia wants to sow discord and weaken cooperation among European states.
One expert on terrorism in Europe told Vox: 'They have shown in the past they can use their spy networks and proxies to sow discord.'
Passengers queue at the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras station in central London. French rail officials say several lines have been hit by 'malicious acts' which have heavily disrupted services ahead of the Olympics
Travelers sit on stairs at the Gare de Montparnasse, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024
Passengers gather around the departure boards at the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris on July 26, 2024 after France's high-speed rail network was hit by malicious acts disrupting the transport system.
Officials said that there have been a series of 'coordinated malicious acts' which have affected 'numerous stations', with services across France cancelled or delayed.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the consequences of the attacks on the rail network are 'massive and serious', and expressed his gratitude to firefighters for putting out the fires.
He added that 'intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts.'
Jean-Pierre Farandou, the head of France's rail operator the SNCF, said it was a 'sad day' because families would be the worst affected by what he said were attacks by 'irresponsible cranks'.
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said the 'criminal actions will compromise the holiday departures of many French people.'
They were focused on the TGV high speed train network which covers the whole of France, and which is particularly busy at this time of year.
The first blaze was detected early on Friday morning near tracks at Courtalain, in the Eure-et-Loir department.
It caused the interruption of traffic on the hugely busy Atlantique high-speed line.
SNCF also referred to a 'malicious act' on the high-speed line between Lille and Paris, in the northern Arras sector.
TGV Inoui and Ouigo trains were diverted to conventional lines, causing cancellations and far longer journey times.
Crowds built up at major Paris stations such as Montparnasse, where trains to and from nearby towns such as Tours and Le Mans were all cancelled.
A spokesman for SNCF said it was the victim of 'a massive arson attack to paralyze the TGV network'
He said the disruption should 'last at least the whole weekend', and would have a knock-on effect across the network.
Further travel disruption is set to be caused by a no-fly zone the size of Belgium being imposed across northern France.
All three Paris airports will be closed, amid fears of a possible terror attack.
The French Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement: 'A temporary prohibited area is created to ensure the implementation of the special air security arrangements as part of the protection of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games 2024.'
Olympic organisers have long feared acts of sabotage targeting the multi-billion pound games, and a vast security operation costing £350million has unfolded in Paris to try and counter threats.
The largest peacetime deployment of forces in France's history involves some 75,000 soldiers, police and private security agents.
Gérald Darmanin, France's Interior Ministry, said 'the terrorist threat remains high' and that 'a high level of vigilance' remains essential.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, alerted the French foreign ministry to a potential terror threat in a diplomatic note on Thursday, expressing his fear that Iran might target Israelis during the Olympic Games.
'We have intelligence indicating that Iranian operatives and other terrorist groups are planning to target members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists,' Katz said in his warning, according to Israeli media.
This comes as French cops detained an alleged jihadist over suspicions of a terror plot targeting the Olympics.
The 18-year-old man from Gironde, a region in southwest France, was arrested yesterday, with police reportedly finding evidence for him believing jihadist ideology, according to local media.
Investigators confirmed to local media that the was connected to another man, also 18, who was taken into custody on Tuesday.
The two allegedly communicated on an encrypted messaging service, where they reportedly wrote that they wanted to commit a 'violent action' against the Olympics soon.
PARIS: Dozens of Eurostar passengers are pictured surrounding a train amid the delays
KENT: A Eurostar train travels through Ashford. Many have been delayed or cancelled
Basel-Mulhouse Airport was evacuated due to a bomb alert, amid Olympics chaos as French train lines are paralysed in 'massive, coordinated arson attack'
Passengers walk on train platform at the Bordeaux-Saint-Jean train station in Bordeaux, western France on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system
A SNCF railway worker carries cable wires at a site where vandals targeted France's high-speed train network, in Croisilles, northern France
Soldiers patrol on the Seine river
SNCF employees and French gendarmes inspect the scene of an attack on the high speed railway network at Croiselles, northern France on July 26, 2024
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