French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Monday that an individual identified as an “ultra-left activist” has been apprehended after allegedly trespassing on a railway site. This arrest comes amidst an ongoing national investigation into arson attacks targeting train networks last week, which disrupted travel for nearly a million passengers in France just hours before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a post on X, Darmanin stated that the suspect was taken into custody on Sunday at a railway facility in the Seine-Maritime region.
The post attributed the disruption to “sabotage” of the SNCF, France’s national railway company, which occurred overnight between Thursday and Friday preceding the Olympics. However, The Associated Press reported that while the unidentified man detained at an SNCF site near Rouen on Sunday was connected to the railway network, authorities could not immediately link him to the widespread arson attacks.
The interior minister shared a report from the French daily newspaper Le Figaro while disclosing the arrest. According to the newspaper, a police source speaking to Agence France-Presse revealed that an “activist from the far-left movement” was apprehended on Sunday at an SNCF site in Oissel (Seine-Maritime).
Authorities reportedly found “access keys to SNCF technical premises,” “cutting pliers,” a “set of universal keys,” and literature related to the far left, including a copy of Romain Huët’s book “Le vertige de l’riot: de la Zad aux Gilets jaunes,” in the man’s vehicle.
A train conductor reportedly witnessed several individuals near a “railway electrical cabinet” just south of Rouen on Sunday. The group fled the area, which is not accessible to the public, as the conductor passed by, according to a statement from the Rouen prosecutor’s office cited by The New York Times. Authorities detained the man for questioning when he returned to retrieve his vehicle, which was left at the scene.
Darmanin told France 2 that last week’s “acts of sabotage” were carried out deliberately and with great precision, demonstrating “the traditional mode of action of the ultra-left.”
“The question is whether they were manipulated or is it for their own benefit,” Darmanin said. “What has really interested and worried us is that these are extremely specific locations used for communication,” he added, according to The New York Times. “Clearly, it was extremely well-targeted, it was not done randomly.”
Le Figaro reported that fiber optic cables running near the tracks, responsible for transmitting safety information to drivers, including red light signals, were severed and set on fire at various locations along the TGV line network overnight Thursday to Friday. One source close to the investigation described the operation as “well-prepared” and organized by “the same structure.”
Train traffic had largely resumed by Monday as the national investigation continues.
Meanwhile, the French government reported that multiple telecommunications lines were vandalized overnight Sunday into Monday, impacting fiber lines, fixed, and mobile phone lines.
While the extent of the impact remains unclear, Marina Ferrari, the secretary of state in charge of digital affairs, posted on X that damage in several regions overnight affected telecommunications operators. She stated that this resulted in localized disruptions to access to fiber lines, fixed, and mobile phone lines.
“I condemn in the strongest terms these cowardly and irresponsible acts. Thank you to the teams mobilized this morning to carry out repairs and restore damaged sites to service,” Ferrari wrote.
A French police official informed The Associated Press that at least six regions were affected, including the area surrounding the Mediterranean city of Marseille, where Olympic soccer and sailing competitions are being held. Telecom operators Bouygues and Free confirmed that their services were disrupted. French media reports indicated that lines operated by provider SFR were also affected.
The parent company of Free stated that its teams are working to restore services.