Arson Attack Hits French Railways Hours Before Olympics Opening Ceremony

France's high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple "coordinated acts of malice," including arson, hours before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics , the French state railway company SNCF announced on its X account Friday (July 26).

"Due to coordinated acts of malice in France, affecting several high speed lines, several high speed trains are being diverted or cancelled. Our teams are fully mobilised in stations, in the call centers, and onboard to ensure that all passengers are informed and can reach their destination. Customers are being informed via email, SMS or on our website," the company wrote. "They can cancel their journey free of charge, be refunded, or modify their journey free of charge."

SNCF said "a large number of trains were diverted or canceled" and advised "all travelers who can to postpone their trip and not go to the station" in an update shared hours before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Outgoing French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal referred to the attacks as "acts of sabotage" which were committed "in a planned and coordinated manner" in a translated post shared to his X account.

A Paris Olympics spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the opening ceremony would go on as originally planned.

“The organising committee are going ahead with the opening ceremony as planned and have no concerns from their side in light of the overnight events on the train network,” the spokesperson said.

The 2024 Paris Olympics' opening ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. Paris time, or 1:30 p.m. ET. iHeartMedia is providing 24/7 coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics broadcasting live on NBC Olympics Radio Plus .