France’s high-speed rail lines were attacked in a case of arson just hours before the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Fires were set in pipes containing signaling cables, according to the Associated Press.
Train operator SNCF said the coordinated attacks are expected to cause delays through the weekend.
A SNFC spokesman added that about 250,000 people are affected. The spokesman said in a statement, “We ask all passengers to postpone their journeys and not to go to railway stations. All tickets are exchangeable and refundable. Customers will be informed by text when their train is running.”
Several trains on the Eurostar network have been canceled. The rail service has requested that customers postpone their trips if possible.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on social media, “Early this morning, acts of sabotage were carried out in a prepared and coordinated manner on SNCF installations.”
He called the “consequences” of the attack “massive and serious.”
“I express my sincere gratitude to our firefighters who intervened on the affected sites and to the SNCF agents who will carry out the necessary work to restore the network,” he added. “I think of all the French people, all the families, who were preparing to go on vacation. I share their anger and salute their patience, their understanding and the civic-mindedness they demonstrate.”
“Our intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts,” he wrote.
