Attack on a railway in France on the opening day of the Olympic Games. What is known?
Batraz Tomaev July 26, 2024, 13:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
There was a traffic jam in the French capital. The pre-game press conference was completely cancelled. There are threats of terrorist attacks.
Today, July 26, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games will take place in Paris. Literally every Parisian feels the importance of the moment. Lockdowns throughout the city centre and access with passes are already commonplace. It is extremely difficult for the intelligence services and law enforcement. However, just a few hours before the start of the 2024 Olympic Games, an emergency occurred.
Train traffic is paralyzed
On the night of 25-26 July, a massive attack on French railways took place. This was announced by the French National Railway Company (SNCF). As a result of the fire, the high-speed train network was partially destroyed in three sections.
“A fire started by arson, causing damage to our facilities. As a result, the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed train lines will be severely affected, while the South-Eastern line will not be affected. We are diverting some trains to other lines, but most services will have to be cancelled,” SNCF said in a press release.
Another attack is said to have been thwarted.
The consequences of the emergency have affected 800,000 passengers. Le Figaro writes that Paris-London trains have been cancelled and that train services are being restored in the capital itself. Disruptions to the transport network are also expected over the weekend, said SNCF director Jean-Pierre Farandou. The organisation also stressed that the location of the attack was not chosen by chance: it is a key point in the network.
The authoritative publication also quotes a source in the security services, who said that this sabotage resembles the actions of the far left. They are now looking for the criminals.
The 2024 Olympic Games competitions are already underway! Competition schedule here:
Who will compete for medals and when? Full competition schedule for the 2024 Olympic Games
Paris in suspense
Just days before the start of the 2024 Games, reports of the arrests of suspected terrorists in Paris also appeared in the media.
The head of Israel’s Foreign Ministry has warned his French counterpart that members of the Israeli Olympic delegation and tourists from that country could be attacked, Israel Hayom reports. According to him, Iranian militants are preparing the attack.
Amid all the news, the traditional press conference prior to the opening ceremony of the Games was cancelled on the morning of July 26. The Olympic organizing committee did not specify the reasons.
But RMC Sport reported that the weather was to blame. It is raining in Paris today and will continue to rain in the afternoon.
Despite this and the arson attack in the morning, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games will go ahead. It starts at 20:30 Moscow time.
They were preparing for rain in Paris, but it would have been much better without it:
“It will be a disaster.” The Olympic opening ceremony could take place under heavy rain
