Leftist militants are suspected of sabotaging France's TGV high-speed train network in a series of pre-dawn attacks across the country, causing travel chaos and exposing security gaps ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony later on Friday, two security sources said.
According to the sources, the act indicated that the modus operandi suggested initial suspicions fell on leftist militants or environmental activists, although there was no concrete evidence yet.
The coordinated sabotage comes as France mounts a massive security operation involving tens of thousands of police and soldiers to safeguard the capital for the sporting event, diverting security resources from across the country.
SNCF, the state-owned railway operator, reported that vandals damaged signal substations and cables on lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west, and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
(Reuters)