Phone networks ‘sabotaged’ across France & left-wing activist ARRESTED over railway attacks on opening day of Olympics
PHONE networks across France have been “sabotaged” as a far-left activist was arrested over Friday’s railway attacks.
The leftist was handcuffed by police in Oissel, just south of Rouen, on Sunday and is the first arrest for the arson which caused travel chaos to hundreds of thousands of people.
The arson attack on three sections of high speed line took place hours before the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony got underway and threatened to ruin officials’ plans.
The activist detained Sunday had access keys to rail operator SNCF’s technical premises, tools, and literature linked to the ultra-left.
Overnight, France has faced more sabotage with the cables of several telecom operators in electrical cabinets were “cut” in six areas of France between 1am and 3am.
Paris and the Olympics are not affected, police said on Monday.
Departments affected are in top and bottom of the country.
They include: Hérault, Bouches-du-Rhône, Oise, Meuse, Drôme and Aude, according to Le Parisien.
The sabotage has localised affects on fibre, landlines, and cellphones after telephone operators SFR and Bouygues were targeted.
There has been no claim of responsibility yet and it is unknown how many are affected.
Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Marina Ferrari condemned the attacks and said teams had been mobilised to repair the damaged sites.
A telephone relay antenna near Toulouse on Thursday night was also targeted, the prosecutor’s office said on Sunday.
They are investigating a claim by an “ultra-left” anti-Olympic movement after a graffiti tag, ‘No JO’, for ‘No Olympics’ (Jeux Olympiques), was found near the site.
On Friday, high speed rail services were cancelled following “coordinated acts of malice” against the rail network.
Three arson attacks against signal cables hit lines run by operator SNCF, leaving massive queues at train stations and operators, including the Eurostar, telling travellers to stay at home.
On Monday, trains were reportedly working again but the perpetrators remained unknown.
Fifty dedicated detectives and teams of gendarmes are now working round-the-clock to find the gangs responsible for the attacks.
French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said the nationwide operation was “well prepared”, and clearly the work of a well organised gang.
He said SNCF spends the equivalent of some £30million a year on trackside security.
And Vergriete confirmed that extra “drones, gendarmerie helicopters and patrols” were now being used to bolster security.
It is not clear whether the telephone cable cut and the railway arson are linked.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Monday morning the investigation into Friday’s attack was “progressing very well, we will find the people who did this”.
Leftist groups regularly carry out acts of sabotage against the French state, and many have threatened the 2024 Paris Olympics.
They have complained that it is costing multi-billions to put on, during a cost-of-living crisis.
Gerald Darmanin, France’s Interior Minister, said on Monday that the investigation into the rail sabotage was “progressing very well”, adding: “We will find the people who did this.”
Confirming the arrest, he said the modus operandi being employed by saboteurs fitted in with the “profile of ultra-Left” activists.
Anybody involved faces up to 20 years in prison for “damaging France’s national interests,” according to a spokesman for Paris prosecutors, who have opened a criminal enquiry.
Where did the attacks take place?
The attacks on the high speed rail lines took place at three places across France.
Operator SNCF says the fires were set in pipes that carried crucial cables used for signalling on the rail service.
Saboteurs hit Courtalain on the Atlantic high-speed line; Croisilles on the Northern high-speed line; and Pagny-sur-Moselle on the East high-speed line.
One attack on the Southeast line was stopped by maintenance workers who scared the group of people off, the Ministry of Transport said.
French airport Basel-Mulhouse was evacuated on Friday morning over a bomb threat.
The airport, near the Swiss border, was brought to a halt with “security” concerns plunging the aviation hub into chaos.
On its website, Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport had said: “For safety reasons, the terminal had to be evacuated and is currently closed.”
But now the airport has reopened and flights are slowly set to resume.