Foreign Affairs

‘Coordinated’ Arson Attack Throws Wrench In Opening Of Paris Olympic Games

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)

A “coordinated” arson attack on Friday created chaos ahead of the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The opening ceremony of the XXXIII Olympic Games was set to take place on Friday in Paris, France, and as of this writing, is still expected to begin on time. However, saboteurs staged an arson attack against France’s key rail lines ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday morning, disrupting travel services and affecting hundreds of thousands of people who hoped to attend the games, French media outlet Le Monde reported on Friday.

BREAKING:

A massive sabotage attack against France’s high-speed railway system strands thousands of passengers at railway stations across France.

Arsonists & hackers attack in unison. Russia?

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics takes place today pic.twitter.com/sknuteDyFd

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 26, 2024

“This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyze the TGV (France’s high-speed rail) network,” national rail operator SNCF told Agence France-Presse on Friday, according to Le Monde, noting that many travel routes would be canceled “at least all weekend while repairs are conducted.”

Officials explained that the saboteurs, acting in a precise and highly coordinated manner, cut key signal cables and then burned them, requiring extensive and laborious repairs, according to The Wall Street Journal. One attempt to sabotage a rail line serving southeast France was foiled by authorities.

“The places were chosen specifically to have the heaviest impact,” Jean-Pierre Farandou, president of the SNCF, said on Friday, according to the WSJ. “This is a sad day.”

Officials said that roughly 250,000 people traveling to attend the games are currently affected, though that figure will likely rise to as high as 800,000 by the end of the weekend, according to the WSJ. Approximately 300,000 people were expected to attend the opening ceremony of the games on Friday.

The incident marks a concerning security breach for the Olympics given the heightened security presence this year amid threats from a variety of sources, according to Le Monde and the WSJ. Among the most concerning possible threats are actors from Russia and Iran.

A Russian individual was arrested by French authorities on Tuesday for planning to stir disorder at the games, according to the WSJ.

No one was killed or injured during the incident, and authorities are still working to determine the identities of the saboteurs; no person or group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Should the saboteurs be caught, they could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of roughly $244,000, according to NBC News.

Featured image credit:  (Screen Capture/PBS