Several fiber optic networks in France were sabotaged shortly after arson attacks disrupted high-speed train services during the Olympics opening ceremony. Cables for telecom operators in six areas of France were intentionally cut earlier today, according to the police.
French authorities arrested an activist from an ultra-left-wing movement at an SNCF site. The arrest came after sabotage attacks paralyzed the network at the beginning of the Olympic Games. The activist, who had access to SNCF technical premises and related literature, was detained in Oissel, northern France according to CBC news.
The man was taken into police custody for questioning in Rouen, the main city in the Normandy region of France.
Fiberoptic networks of several telecommunications operators in six areas of France were recently “sabotaged”. Internet connections, including some VOIP phone services, were affected, but cellular services were not.
The French public prosecutor said on Monday that an investigation has been opened into attacks on telecommunications installations. The investigation will be carried out jointly by counterterrorism investigators and the Gendarmerie national police force.
French police and national rail network staff are inspecting high-speed rail lines in Croisilles, northern France, following acts of sabotage that severely disrupted the network on the day of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
Unknown people attacked three railway installations in France on Friday, leading to chaos on the high-speed network as Paris gets ready for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on France 2 TV that authorities are investigating the possibility that the recent attacks were carried out by ultra-left wing movements, similar to a previous attack by far-left activists on railway infrastructure.
French services have “identified a certain number of profiles that could have committed” the sabotage acts, he said.
He said the “attacks were intentional, very precise, extremely well targeted”, adding that this was “the traditional mode of operation of the ultra-left.”
“The question is whether they were manipulated or is it for their own account”, he added.
The cost of the sabotage will “very probably” amount to millions of euros, including “commercial losses” and “repair costs”, the minister told RTL.
Fibre optic cables near the tracks were cut and set on fire in attacks on three main high-speed TGV lines in France. These cables transmit safety information for drivers, including signaling lights and points.