Who is Behind the Paris Olympic Attack? Arsonists Target French High-Speed Rail Before The Opening Ceremony

What a chaotic way to start the Olympics! The France high-speed train network experienced arson attacks hours before the Friday evening opening ceremony. The attacks disrupted travel to Paris for more than 800,000 passengers across Europe, including athletes going to the opening ceremony. The attack happened despite the tight security operations with thousands of soldiers and police guarding the capital to ensure no threats to the international sporting event in Paris.

The French-owned railway operator reported that the arsonists targeted signal boxes on the rail lines connecting the French capital to cities like Lille, Strasbourg, and Bordeaux. Moreover, there was another attack on the Paris - Marseille which left thousands of people stranded. The attackers set fire to pipes with crucial signaling cables for the TVG system. Before dawn, there were reports of blazes on three separate lines that caused huge disruptions.

According to Gabriel Attal, French prime Minister, the attackers on the high-speed rail a few hours before the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony aimed at blocking the country’s high-speed rail network. He said that the attackers had targeted the major routes from the east, west, and north of Paris. With the large number of people stranded while visiting Paris for the Olympic games or vacation, he said there will be severe consequences.

He also said the cables would be repaired one by one. The process will need hundreds of workers since it will be manual and there are a huge number of cables.

With about 7,000 athletes set to sail along the Seine on Friday evening's opening ceremony, there were questions on whether the attack would affect the opening ceremony. Anne Hidalgo, Paris mayor affirmed that the attacks would not affect the opening ceremony and there are no cases of injuries. However, two German athletes did not make it to the opening ceremony.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far and the motive for the disruption is not yet known. The attack was co-ordinated with multiple sites far apart hit. This clearly shows it was not the work of one or two people. French officials are collecting evidence from the scene before they say who is responsible.