France was warned last night that the Paris Olympics are threatened, after the high-speed rail network was paralyzed by sabotage attacks suspected to have been carried out by hard-Left agitators.
Suspects also fell on Russia after critical cables suffered “massive” damage in a “coordinated” pre-dawn attack on three locations on Friday, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
It comes after months of warnings about Kremlin plans to sabotage the Games, and threats from radical Left groups angered by Emmanuel Macron’s snap election.
Patrice Vergriete, France’s transport minister, said after the sabotage France was “preparing” for another attack on the network.
He said: “Today we are on high alert, so obviously we have mobilized all security forces, as well as drones, so now we are on high alert.”
A French intelligence source told the AFP news agency that the hard-left group was believed to be behind the attack. US media also said local officials were investigating anarchists or extreme Left groups, although they warned that the “preliminary assessment” was only preliminary.
There was no official comment from the French authorities.
Gerald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said four other planned attacks targeting the Olympics had been foiled in recent weeks by his services. He added that the threat of terrorism remains “high”.
Friday’s attack threatened to overshadow the opening ceremony held on the River Seine last night as heavy rain fell on the 7,500 athletes, 300,000 spectators and VIP spectators.
The chaos on the trains will affect about 800,000 passengers this weekend, including a quarter of a million on Friday, authorities said.
Two trains carrying athletes were also affected on Friday, with some at risk of missing the opening ceremony and the start of sports.
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, France’s sports minister, said the impact on the transport of delegates and “this weekend’s athletes” was being assessed.
Sir Keir Starmer was also caught up in the chaos. He had to change his travel plans, with a Downing Street spokesman saying the Prime Minister had planned to travel on the Eurostar to Paris but flew to France because of the disruption.
Meanwhile, thousands of British tourists were stranded at St Pancras station in London after one in four Eurostar trains was canceled due to sabotage in France.
Some travelers told The Telegraph they had tickets for the opening ceremony, while others were unable to travel to the Games where they were supposed to be volunteers.
‘This is an attempt to destroy France’
Paris prosecutors said an investigation had been launched into allegations of “destruction of property that could harm the fundamental interests of the state”, among others.
Valérie Pécresse, head of the Paris regional council, said: “Clearly this attack is not a coincidence. This attack is an attempt to destroy France.
Gabriel Attal, the French Prime Minister, said the saboteurs “know where to hit”, have “knowledge of the network” and have hit “the main point”.
Some officials pointed the finger at a Russian plot. The attack followed weeks of warnings from French government officials that Russia could try to sabotage the Games.
This week, a Russian reality TV “scholar” turned Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef was unveiled as a spy allegedly plotting to sabotage the Paris Olympics. Kirill Gryaznov, 40, was arrested on Sunday in Paris, having been linked to the Russian FSB security service.
On the phone, intercepted by a French officer, he was recorded saying: “The French will hold an opening ceremony like never before.”
He was accused of sharing “intelligence with foreign powers with the aim of provoking hostilities in France”.
Israel said Iran was responsible, with Israel Katz, the foreign minister, writing that the attack was “planned and carried out under the influence of Iran’s evil and radical Islamic axis”.