TGV and Eurostar disruption ends but who carried out French attacks?
Member of a ‘far-left’ group was arrested near an SNCF centre on Sunday. He had tools including wirecutters in his vehicle
Services across France’s rail network were disrupted this weekend
Tobias Arhelger / Shutterstock
Timetables for high-speed TGV rail services in France, as well as for international Eurostar trains, have returned to normal today (July 29) after being seriously disrupted over the weekend following sabotage attacks.
A number of fires affecting rail infrastructure across high-speed lines, most predominantly to the west and north, caused nearly one million rail journeys to be affected over the weekend.
Read more: Train chaos as arsonists sabotage TGV and Eurostar services
Investigations into these “acts of sabotage” as national rail operator SNCF described them, are ongoing.
‘Ultraleft’ suspected…
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced this morning (July 29) that investigators had “identified a certain number of profiles who could have committed [the sabotage].,” during an interview on French TV.
“The sabotage was deliberate, very precise and extremely well targeted… This is the traditional mode of action of the ultra-left,” he added.
A number of individuals are under investigation, but no one, nor any group, has officially been named.
It was also announced that a member of a ‘far-left’ group had been arrested on Sunday (July 28), at a site managed by the SNCF in Oissel, close to Rouen (Seine-Maritime).
Tools were found in the vehicle of a 29-year old man, including ‘wire cutters, ‘a set of universal keys’, ‘access keys to SNCF technical premises’ as well as reading material related to a far-left group, a police source told the AFP (Associated French Press).
He was already known to authorities for his involvement in far-left political groups.
Another individual was caught on Sunday evening in Marolles-sur-Seine (Seine-et-Marne) attempting to cut the fence to access a high-speed train line, but he fled the scene before being arrested.
… But minister hesitant to point finger
“We have to be careful [before making the accusations, the question is whether they were manipulated or whether it was for their own benefit,” Mr Darmanin added.
“There are people who can get close to these groups [and infiltrate them],” causing them to carry out malicious acts.
There may be hesitation to officially point to the far-left as the prime suspects after a group of leftists were wrongfully accused of similar incidents in the past.
In November 2008, high-speed rail lines across France seriously were damaged, with anti-terrorist police quickly identifying a group of left-wing activists, who were subsequently arrested on charges of terrorism.
However, a series of lengthy court cases – known as the Tarnac affair, after the village in Corrèze where one of the group’s leaders was arrested – saw all charges dropped against the group, and the government and legal system widely criticised for its actions
If you are planning to travel today, you can double check if your train is running on time with either the SNCFConnect smartphone app or at the SNCF website.
