French authorities have now arrested a left-wing extremist in connection with attacks on the high-speed train network shortly before the Olympic Games, the first arrest to be publicly announced.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin shared corresponding media reports on Monday. The activist was arrested on a railway yard near Rouen – with a key to a technical system and a pair of wire cutters. In his car, the police also found a book about protest movements in France. However, a concrete connection with the sabotage acts of Friday could not initially be established.
“It is the typical approach of left-wing extremists,” Darmanin said. At the same time, he warned against hasty conclusions. “(…) The question arises whether they were manipulated or did this on their own initiative.”
Here you can see Gérald Darmanin’s message.
As reported, on Friday, shortly before the opening of the Olympic Games, arson attacks were committed on the French railway network (see video above). This brought to a standstill several high-speed lines connecting Paris to the west, north and east of the country. Numerous rail services were cancelled and 900,000 passengers were affected by the restrictions.
Authenticity of confession letters not confirmed
Initially, no one claimed responsibility for the attack, but over the weekend a letter of responsibility emerged from a group critical of the Olympics. “Do you call it a festival? We see it as a celebration of nationalism, a gigantic staging of the subjugation of the population by the states,” it reads.
It was initially unknown whether the arrested man had any connection to this group. According to Darmanin, the authenticity of the letter has not yet been confirmed. The authors could be wrongly claiming responsibility for the actions.
According to French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete, all trains have been running normally since Monday morning. Over the weekend, workers carried out repairs around the clock to repair the damage. The damage to state railway operator SNCF will be considerable.
Surveillance has increased, new sabotage
The affected passengers are yet to receive compensation. Monitoring of France’s 28,000-kilometre rail network has been significantly expanded as a result of the sabotage.
On Monday evening, several internet providers reported acts of sabotage on fibre optic cables. “It is vandalism. The cables were cut with an axe or a circular saw,” according to provider SFR. Free also reported damage. Here too, no one initially claimed responsibility for the acts. It was initially unclear whether there was a connection with the acts of sabotage against the railway.
Source: Krone
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