French telecoms network targeted by vandals as man arrested over rail attacks that caused Paris Olympics chaos

Telecoms networks in France have been vandalised overnight, according to reports.

Telecom installations belonging to French companies SFR and Bouygues Telecom had been targeted, Reports by Le Parisien newspaper and BFM TV, citing unnamed sources, said on Monday.

The reports said cables in electrical cabinets had been cut in southern France, and that installations in the Meuse region near Luxembourg and the Oise area near Paris had been vandalised, affecting mainly fixed-line services.

It came as a man was reportedly arrested in connection with alleged attacks on France ’s high-speed rail network that brought chaos to Eurostar and train services as the Paris Olympics got under way on Friday.

The man, reportedly a far-left activist, was arrested on Sunday at a site belonging to France’s national state-owned railway SNCF in Oissel, according to AFP.

He reportedly had keys and cutting pliers in his vehicle, along with literature relating to the far-left, said AFP citing a police source.

He was reportedly taken into custody in Rouen.

A number of SNCF cables and signal substations were reportedly damaged in the early hours of Friday - the day of the Olympics opening ceremony - throwing Eurostar and other French high-speed rail networks into chaos .

Rail traffic only returned to normal on Monday morning. Some 800,000 people faced disruptions, including 100,000 people whose trains had to be cancelled outright.

It was not immediately clear whether the damaged cables were linked to arson attacks that also targeted the French rail network on Friday.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Monday retweeted a media story that reported that a far-left activist was arrested. The government has not publicly announced any arrest since the attack.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.