It was supposed to be the great day for France. This evening the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is scheduled (from 26 July to 11 August) but the French capital is isolated: road connections with the three Parisian airports had been interrupted for security reasons and today a series of arson attacks against railway infrastructure led to the diversion and cancellation of numerous trains.

"Due to the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games, scheduled for Friday 26 July, road access to and from the 'Charles de Gaulle' airport in Paris and Paris-Orly may be interrupted. Choose public transport", warned on the social networks of Paris Aéroport yesterday afternoon, the company that manages the three airports of the French capital.

The Minister of Transport, Patrice Vergriete, confirmed on social networks that these were "coordinated acts with malicious intent" which targeted several TGV lines (high speed train, Editor's note), causing serious traffic disruptions that will last until weekend".

An interruption planned for safety reasons. Many had therefore thought of reaching Paris by train, to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games scheduled along the Seine river, in the center of the capital. Nothing to do, impossible to use rail transport to reach Paris. A series of incendiary attacks did damage on the Atlantique, North, and East lines.

Numerous train routes, particularly high-speed trains, were diverted and cancelled. The attack disrupted the rail transport system to and from Paris. "This massive attack" affects 800,000 travellers, said Jean-Pierre Farandou, director general of the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer français (Sncf), the French state railway company, which manages the infrastructure.

It should be remembered that in recent days the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, had sent a letter to his French counterpart, Stéphane Stayed, warning of possible attacks supported by Iran against the Olympic delegation in Tel Aviv. The French security services therefore activated a 24-hour protection protocol on the 88 Israeli athletes. It is currently unknown whether the attacks on French railways are linked to this alarm.

On the subject, see also the article published by AVIONEWS.