French National Railways (SNCF) employees are repairing the site of a suspected attack after an attack on the high-speed rail network in Vendiere-east, northeastern France, on July 26, 2024. France’s high-speed rail network was disrupted hours before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics .
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen | Jean-Christophe Verhaegen TV series | Getty Images
France’s telecommunications infrastructure was damaged days after an attack on France’s rail network disrupted the travel of 800,000 people as the Olympic Games opening ceremony kicked off in Paris over the weekend.
France’s rail network resumed normal train services on Monday when authorities reported damage to telecommunications infrastructure, causing local power outages and raising fears of further chaos across the country.
French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Marina Ferrari said that there were isolated outages in the French telecommunications network due to damage in many areas overnight.
Ferrari said on the social platform
“I condemn these cowardly and irresponsible actions in the strongest possible terms,” she said in a statement, according to a CNBC translation.
It was unclear whether the damage to telecommunications networks was related to last week’s vandalism and arson attacks on the rail network.
In an effort to dispel doubts, the Kremlin on Monday lashed out at any suggestion that Russia was involved in Friday’s rail attack, with presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling the claim “fake news,” state news agency TASS reported. .
According to a translation report by France 24, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in an interview with France 2 television that the Ministry of the Interior has identified several people related to the railway attack. Darmanin said the “deliberate, very precise” actions taken were often associated with far-left activists, without mentioning specific campaigns or parties and providing no evidence for the claim in the interview.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the arson and other damage that disrupted services on France’s high-speed rail lines.
Revealed: CNBC parent company NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. rights holder for all summer and winter Olympics through 2032.
About The Author
