Vandalism hits landlines and railways in France, investigation underway
As reported by the French newspaper "Le Parisien," cables in electrical cabinets have been cut in six departments of the country, affecting the operation of landlines. At this stage, this does not impact the organization of the Olympic Games in Paris.
According to "Le Parisien," the cables were cut in Hérault, Bouches-du-Rhône, Oise, Meuse, Drôme, and Aude departments.
The report states these acts of vandalism affected landlines rather than mobile lines during the night. So far, no complaints have been filed, and the number of people affected is unknown.
In the last 24 hours, the SFR network recorded 67 mobile service interruptions and 464 Internet access interruptions in the landline network across the country.
Attack on French railways
The French Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, said on Monday that a "certain number of profiles (persons)" who could have perpetrated sabotage on TGV high-speed rail lines last Friday had been identified. He recalled that the far left operated similarly in the past.
"This is a traditional method of the far-left," said Darmanin on the public television channel France 2. When asked if the identified "profiles" came from this circle, he replied that "caution is needed" in this matter.
He also mentioned that whether the perpetrators were "manipulated" or acted in their interests should be determined. At the same time, Darmanin allowed that these people "may be close to this movement (the far-left—PAP)."
The French Minister of Transport, Patrice Vergriete, said on Monday on RTL radio that train traffic has been fully restored.
Three fires near the tracks
On Friday before dawn, three fires were reported near the tracks on high-speed lines. The fires were set in places where critical signal cables were located. Signal substations and cables connecting Paris with Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west, and Strasbourg in the east were damaged. An attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled.
No one has claimed responsibility for the sabotage. The Paris Prosecutor's Office announced that the investigation would be supervised by its organized crime bureau in collaboration with the counter-terrorism division.
