Attack in France

Left-wing extremist arrested after sabotage

Chaos at a train station in France

(Bild: APA/AFP/Thibaud MORITZ)

The French authorities have now arrested a left-wing extremist in connection with the attacks on the high-speed train network shortly before the Olympics. This is the first arrest to be made public.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin shared corresponding media reports on Monday. The activist was arrested on a railroad site near Rouen. "It is the typical approach of left-wing extremists", said Darmanin. At the same time, he warned against jumping to conclusions. "(...) The question is whether they were manipulated or did it on their own initiative."

As reported, arson attacks were carried out on the French rail network on Friday shortly before the opening of the Olympic Games (see video above). As a result, several high-speed lines connecting Paris with the west, north and east of the country were paralyzed. Numerous rail connections were canceled and 900,000 passengers were affected by the restrictions.

Here you can see the post by Gérald Darmanin.

Authenticity of claim of responsibility not confirmed
Initially, no one claimed responsibility for the attack, but at the weekend a letter of confession from a group critical of the Olympics emerged. "You call it a festival? We see it as a celebration of nationalism, a gigantic staging of the subjugation of the population by the states," it reads.

However, it was not initially known whether the arrested man had any connection to this group. According to Darmanin, the authenticity of the letter has not yet been confirmed. The authors could falsely claim responsibility for the acts.

Chaos at a train station in France

(Bild: APA/AFP/Thibaud MORITZ)

According to French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete, all trains have been running normally again since Monday morning. Workers had been carrying out repairs around the clock over the weekend to repair the damage. The damage to the state rail operator SNCF will be considerable.