Arson Attacks Shut Down French High-Speed Rail Network Hours Before Olympics

Sedang Trending 5 bulan yang lalu

PARIS (AP) — France’s high-speed obstruction web was deed Friday pinch wide and “criminal” acts of vandalism including arson attacks, paralyzing recreation to Paris from crossed nan remainder of France and Europe, and thwarting Olympic athletes from travel, only hours earlier the expansive opening ceremony of nan Games.

French officials condemned nan attacks arsenic “criminal actions,” though they said location was nary motion of a nonstop nexus to nan Games. Prosecutors successful Paris opened a nationalist investigation saying nan crimes could transportation sentences of 10 to 20 years.

“It’s a hellhole of a measurement to commencement nan Olympics,” said Sarah Moseley, a 42-year-old traveler waiting astatine nan Gare du Nord position successful Paris arsenic she learned that her train to London was delayed by nan obstruction chaos.

As Paris authorities geared up for a spectacular parade connected and on nan Seine River, 3 fires were reported adjacent nan tracks connected nan high-speed lines of Atlantique, Nord and Est, causing disruptions that affected hundreds of thousands of travelers.

Among them were Olympic athletes themselves.

Two retired of 4 trains carrying Olympic athletes to Paris connected nan occidental Atlantique high-speed statement were stopped hours earlier nan opening ceremony, affected by nan coordinated sabotage connected nan tracks, an charismatic from nan French railway usability SNCF said Friday.

Travelers beryllium connected stairs astatine nan Gare de Montparnasse, astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Paris, France. Hours distant from nan expansive opening ceremonial of nan Olympics, high-speed obstruction postulation to nan French superior was severely disrupted connected Friday pursuing what officials described arsenic "criminal actions" and sabotage (AP Photo/Yasin Dar)
Travelers beryllium connected stairs astatine nan Gare de Montparnasse, astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Paris, France. Hours distant from nan expansive opening ceremonial of nan Olympics, high-speed obstruction postulation to nan French superior was severely disrupted connected Friday pursuing what officials described arsenic "criminal actions" and sabotage (AP Photo/Yasin Dar)

via Associated Press

Also, 2 German athletes successful showjumping who were connected a train to Paris to return portion successful nan opening ceremonial but had to move backmost successful Belgium because of nan closures, and will now miss nan ceremony, German news agency dpa reported.

“There was nary longer a chance of making it connected time,” rider Philipp Weishaupt, who was walking pinch teammate Christian Kukuk, told dpa.

There were nary known reports of injuries from nan attacks.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said France’s intelligence services person been mobilized to find nan perpetrators of nan “acts of sabotage” which he described arsenic “prepared and coordinated.”

Attal said that nan actions connected nan eve of nan Olympics had “a clear objective: blocking nan high-speed train network.”

He said nan vandals strategically targeted nan axes from nan north, eastbound and westbound toward Paris hours earlier nan Olympics opening ceremony.

Travelers hold wrong nan Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Bordeaux, France. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Travelers hold wrong nan Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Bordeaux, France. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

via Associated Press

Policemen patrol nan Gare de L'Est astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Paris, France. Hours distant from nan expansive opening ceremonial of nan Olympics, high-speed obstruction postulation was severely disrupted. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Policemen patrol nan Gare de L'Est astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Paris, France. Hours distant from nan expansive opening ceremonial of nan Olympics, high-speed obstruction postulation was severely disrupted. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

via Associated Press

It was “a premeditated, calculated, coordinated attack” that indicates “a desire to earnestly harm” nan French people, nan CEO of nan nationalist railway institution SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, said.

“The places were particularly chosen to person nan astir superior impact, since each occurrence trim disconnected 2 lines,” Farandou said.

Farandou said railway attraction workers managed to thwart a suspected sabotage effort on tracks heading south-east of Paris.

Workers connected nan nighttime displacement spotted intruders and alerted police, Farandou said.

“These group left, of course, very quickly erstwhile they realized they were spotted. So, convey you to nan railway workers,” Farandou said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it everywhere.”

Farandou said repairs were being made arsenic constabulary conducted forensic examinations and searched for nan perpetrators.

France’s Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said train postulation was opening to resume successful nan afternoon, particularly connected nan Atlantique line, which had been wholly halted. “At Montparnasse position and Bordeaux station, which were nan astir affected, we should find 1 successful 3 trains moving this afternoon. Things are already improving,” he said.

The onslaught occurred against a backdrop of world tensions and heightened information measures arsenic nan metropolis prepared for nan 2024 Olympic Games. Many travelers were readying to converge connected nan superior for nan opening ceremony, and galore vacationers were besides successful transit.

Travelers hold astatine nan Eurostar level wrong nan Gare du Nord train position astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Paris, France. Hours distant from nan expansive opening ceremonial of nan Olympics, high-speed obstruction postulation to nan French superior was severely disrupted connected Friday by what officials described arsenic "criminal actions" and sabotage. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Travelers hold astatine nan Eurostar level wrong nan Gare du Nord train position astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Paris, France. Hours distant from nan expansive opening ceremonial of nan Olympics, high-speed obstruction postulation to nan French superior was severely disrupted connected Friday by what officials described arsenic "criminal actions" and sabotage. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

via Associated Press

Travelers hold wrong nan Gare du Nord train position astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Travelers hold wrong nan Gare du Nord train position astatine nan 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, successful Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

via Associated Press

Earlier this week, France’s interior curate said astir 1,000 group suspected of perchance meddling for a overseas powerfulness person been blocked from attending nan games.

Although he has many times pointed to suspicions of Russia-backed interference, Gerald Darmanin added that specified threats person besides travel from different countries that he did not name. Among those blocked were group suspected of Islamic radicalization aliases left- aliases right-wing governmental extremism, aliases who had important criminal records, Darmanin said.

The coordinated train statement attacks targeted distant locations acold from nan superior arsenic 35,000 constabulary officers are being deployed successful Paris each time for nan Olympics, pinch a highest of 45,000 for nan opening ceremony.

French authorities person foiled respective land to disrupt nan Olympics, including arresting a Russian man connected suspicion of readying to destabilize nan games.

Paris has been nan target of deadly panic attacks successful nan past decade, and immoderate French officials saw hosting nan Olympic Games arsenic a chance for nan federation to heal from years of trauma.

The Paris constabulary prefecture “concentrated its unit successful Parisian train stations” aft nan “massive attack” that paralyzed nan TGV high-speed network, Laurent Nuñez, nan Paris constabulary chief, told France Info television.

Also Friday, nan French airdrome of Basel-Mulhouse connected nan separator pinch Germany and Switzerland was evacuated successful nan greeting and unopen down concisely “for information reasons,” nan airdrome said. It wasn’t clear whether location was a relationship to nan obstruction attacks.

The disruptions deed Paris’ Montparnasse position peculiarly hard.

In nan station’s crowded hall, Maiwenn Labbé-Sorin said she spent hours stranded connected a train earlier it doubled backmost to Paris.

“We stayed 2 hours without water, without toilets, without electricity,” she said. “Then we could spell retired connected nan way for a spot and past nan train returned. Now I’m not judge what’s going to happen.”

Many passengers astatine nan Gare du Nord, 1 of Europe’s busiest train stations, were looking for answers and solutions connected Friday morning. All eyes were connected nan cardinal connection boards arsenic astir services to bluish France, Belgium and nan United Kingdom were delayed.

Germany’s nationalist railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, said location besides were short-notice cancelations and delays of trains betwixt France and Germany.

“They should person much accusation for tourists, particularly if it’s a malicious attack,” said Corey Grainger, a 37-year-old Australian income head connected his measurement to London, arsenic he rested connected his 2 suitcases successful nan mediate of nan station.

Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera said authorities were moving to “evaluate nan effect connected travelers, athletes, and guarantee nan carrier of each delegations to nan title sites” for nan Olympics. Speaking connected BFM television, she added, “Playing against nan Games is playing against France, against your ain camp, against your country.”

The troubles came up of an opening ceremonial planned for later Friday, successful which 7,000 Olympic athletes are owed to sail down nan Seine past iconic Parisian monuments specified arsenic Notre-Dame Cathedral, nan Louvre Museum, and nan Musee d’Orsay.

___

Associated Press writers Tom Nouvian successful Paris, Angela Charlton successful Paris, James Jordan and Danica Kirka successful London and Samuel Petrequin successful Brussels contributed.