Report: Sabotage of fiber optic cables in France
Before the opening of the Olympics, several high-speed train tracks on the French railway network were paralyzed by arson attacks. The authorities suspect left-wing forces behind this. Now, it appears that communication networks have also been targeted.
According to media reports in France, the telecommunications network has been attacked. Facilities of telecommunications companies SFR and Bouygues Telecom were reportedly damaged during night-time "sabotage acts," according to the newspaper "Le Parisien" and the broadcaster BFM TV, citing police sources.
The reports indicate that vandalism occurred at infrastructure sites in the south of the country, in the Meuse region near Luxembourg, and in the Oise region near Paris. Six departments in the southwest, east, and north of the country were affected by these "sabotage acts" - Paris, where the Olympics are currently taking place, was not.
On the day of the Olympics' opening, sabotage acts on fiber-optic cables disrupted large parts of the French rail traffic. The government suspects left-wing forces are behind this. Hundreds of thousands of travelers were affected, including some German Olympic participants who could not make it to the opening ceremony on time.
Normal railway traffic in France resumed gradually over the weekend. On Monday morning, Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete announced that all trains were running "normally." On Monday morning, it was reported from police circles that a left-wing extremist had been arrested on a French railway site.
Arrests due to planned disruptions at the Olympics
Furthermore, the French police report the arrest of dozens of people for planning to disrupt the Olympics. As the businessman-in-charge of the Interior Ministry, Gerald Darmanin, said on France 2, security forces had arrested nearly 50 people. They had planned "sabotage acts or radical protests" during the first Olympic competitions. This was prevented.
The newspaper "Le Parisien" reported that 45 members of the radical environmentalist movement Extinction Rebellion had been arrested. They had planned protests against the social and ecological consequences of the Olympics.
In light of the ongoing incidents, Germany's federal police have increased their surveillance and preparedness in response to potential threats from left-extremist groups, given their historical involvement in such activities. The French authorities are continuing to investigate the series of arson attacks and sabotage acts on critical infrastructure, including railway networks and telecommunications facilities.
