A “massive” arson attack caused havoc in France´s railways hours ahead of the Olympic Ceremony on July 26; as thousands of passengers deal with the disruptions, the authorities are “ready” to confront the criminals.
Not part of the plan
Despite seven years of preparations and €414 million cost of security operations, the Paris Olympic Games were launched with the unprecedented collapse of the railway system and safety concerns.
Just hours before the grand procession on the River Seine, increasing fires brought trains to a halt, affecting at least 800,000 passengers, including Olympic athletes and ardent spectators on their way to the Games.
Passengers piled up, perplexed and waiting, as the rail services between Paris and London were disrupted by acts of vandalism. Trains continued to be cancelled as Eurostar advised passengers to abstain from further travelling.
At the same time, a Franco-Swiss airport, EuroAirport was evacuated due to a bomb threat but had now fortunately returned to function. The railway operator, SNCF stated that disruptions were made in the high-speed TGV lines connecting Paris with the French west, north and east; affecting almost the entire country.
A formal investigation was immediately opened, as France´s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal stated; “intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts.”
The criminal behind
No claim of responsibility has been made by the French authorities, as they stated to have no names of the suspects but many claims were made by both government officials and international Press.
Although experts admit that it is far-fetched, the word about a “Russian spy” continues to be spread in fear. Security analyst Alex Kokcharov said to the Press; “Russia has both the intent and capability to attempt sabotage acts in Europe, especially in France. Russian intent is largely linked to the fact that Russia was not invited to the Olympic games.”
While it may seem like an extreme measure driven by childish resentment on Russia´s side, French authorities reported suspect Kirill Gryaznov to be a Russian spy. The man was stopped in Paris and charged with working for the FSB; Putin´s domestic intelligence agency.
The accused, however, denied the charge and stated that he works in reality TV and was only making his way “to the opening ceremony like no other,” when the police captured him.
Today, Russian spies are an everyday suspect across the EU and countries continue to make unwarranted claims such as the transport minister of the Czech Republic did in April this year, warning the EU that the Kremlin has had “thousands of attempts to weaken our systems,” since 2022.
Another potential suspect is Iranian extremists; on July 25, Israel´s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz alerted the French foreign ministry of a potential terrorist attack during the Olympics. The Minister stated; “We have intelligence indicating that Iranian operatives and other terrorist groups are planning to target members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists.”
On the same day, an 18-year-old man from Gironde, France, was arrested after police had reportedly found evidence of his following jihadist ideologies. According to the local media, he had communicated with another 18-year-old man who was taken into custody, about committing a “violent action” against the Olympics.
What´s to come
“We´re focused and we´re ready,” said General Lionel Catar, one of the military planners before the Olympics opening. As 75,000 soldiers, guards and policemen took to the streets of Paris, the Olympics security operation became the largest peacetime deployment of security forces in French history.
The French Civil Aviation Authority stated; “A temporary prohibited area is created to ensure the implementation of the special air security arrangements as part of the protection of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games 2024.” All three Paris airports will remain closed from early evening until midnight in fear of a potential attack.
Amid the unprecedented events, the Olympic torch began to make its way through Paris, in hopes of better and safer days ahead.
