Far-left extremists are claiming responsibility for sabotaging the French railway network just prior to the opening of the Paris Olympics. French media reports that an email linked to the far-left anarchist website “riseup.net” claimed credit for the arson attacks on the infrastructure of state-owned railway operator SNCF, impacting around a million people overall. Air travel was also disrupted as a result of bomb threats.
On Sunday, July 28, a far-left extremist student was arrested at an SNCF site in possession of wire cutters, spray paints, access keys to private SNCF areas, and a book on riots. The man, identified as Valentin M., was taken into custody after a train driver reported several suspicious individuals inside private SNCF areas to police.
Outgoing Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has stated that investigators have identified a number of suspects who could have carried out last week’s sabotage, stating, “The question is whether they were manipulated or whether it was for their own benefit.”
There have been multiple concerns over possible terror threats to the Olympic games from radical Islamic extremists, with a video released by an apparent Hamas supporter claiming Paris would see “rivers of blood” for French support of Israel.
Over 3,500 people who applied for jobs related to the Olympics were rejected after failing terrorism and security-related background checks.
Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.
