Vandals target French telecoms networks days after rail attacks

Vandals targeted France’s telecommunications networks overnight on July 29, piling pressure on French security services trying to secure the Olympics after the authorities said they suspected left-wing groups of attacking rail lines ahead of the opening ceremony in Paris.

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Police have yet to arrest anyone for the July 26 attacks on high-speed rail lines with explosive devices, but Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on July 29 that the authorities suspected members of far-left militant groups due to the nature of the sabotage.

“We have identified the profiles of several people,” he told France 2 TV.

A police source said it was “too soon to tell” if there was any link between the telecoms and rail attacks.

French telecoms regulator Arcep said the sabotage of telecoms networks affected 11,000 people, mainly customers of the SFR and Free services.