PARIS − Hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Friday, France's national train service said it was targeted by several "malicious acts" that caused disruptions to its high-speed lines.
"Arson attacks were started to damage our facilities," SNCF said in a post on X .
The fires appeared to be started on train tracks outside Paris. However, they had a knock-on impact on services at some of the capital city's main train stations. There were also disruptions to Eurostar trains running between London and Paris. One line impacted was between Lille and Paris, a city in northern France where preliminary games of men's and women's basketball and handball are being played, before they shift to Paris for later rounds.
The rail service said that up to 800,000 passengers were impacted by the "massive attack" and it asked them to postpone trips. SCNF said the incident was aimed at "paralyzing the network."
When is opening ceremony at Olympics? Start time, where to watch and stream
It comes as French and international security officials are on high alert for disruptions to the Olympics . In a Games first, the opening ceremony will take place later Friday outside, along the river Seine. France's capital is in virtual lockdown ahead of that with tens of thousands of police and military personnel deployed to keep the event safe.
Organizers of one of the world's most-watched sporting events have planned an extensive security operation targeting threats including extremist plots and cyberattacks, civil unrest and opportunistic thieves.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said that no American athletes were affected by the disruptions because they were traveling on buses. SCNF said there could be delays through the weekend.
Contributing: Christine Brennan, Jeff Zillgitt
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: France’s train network hit by 'massive attack' before Olympics opening ceremony
Most Popular
Comments / 0