French intelligence is looking into far-left or environmentalist protesters being behind the railway chaos in France,an insider has claimed,ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony tonight.
The methods used to launch the massive 'coordinated arson attack' on rail installations across the country resemble those used by such radical groups in the past,the security source claimed.
With just hours to go before the grand procession on the River Seine,fires were started at key facilities,bringing trains to a halt and affecting around 800,000 passengers - including athletes and spectators heading to the Games.
Preliminary evidence in the investigation shows that strategic points of the network were targeted,indicating that the perpetrators had a detailed knowledge of the network,according to investigators.
France's intelligence services and police have been scrambling to determine the perpetrators of the sabotage,with no claim of responsibility having yet been made and French authorities so far refusing to officially name any suspects.
Armed guards near the Plaza de la Bastilla,Paris. The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games takes place on Friday July 26,along the River Seine
'We have intelligence indicating that Iranian operatives and other terrorist groups are planning to target members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists,' Katz said in his warning,according to Israeli media.
This comes as French cops detained an alleged jihadist over suspicions of a terror plot targeting the Olympics.
The 18-year-old man from Gironde,a region in southwest France,was arrested yesterday,with police reportedly finding evidence for him believing jihadist ideology,according to local media.
Investigators confirmed to local media that the was connected to another man,also 18,who was taken into custody on Tuesday.
The two allegedly communicated on an encrypted messaging service,where they reportedly wrote that they wanted to commit a 'violent action' against the Olympics soon.
Vladimir PutinParisRussiaFranceOlympics
© OfficialAffairs
