PARIS (AP) — Arsonists attacked the French high-speed rail network early Friday, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe for some 800,000 people, including Olympic athletes heading to the grand opening ceremony of the Gam
PARIS — Arsonists attacked the French high-speed rail network early Friday, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe for some 800,000 people, including Olympic athletes heading to the grand opening ceremony of the Games in the evening.
Also, two German athletes in showjumping who were on a train to Paris for the opening ceremony — Philipp Weishaupt and Christian Kukuk — had to turn back in Belgium because of the closures, German news agency dpa reported. “The places were especially chosen to have the most serious impact, since each fire cut off two lines,” Farandou said.
France’s Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said train traffic was beginning to resume in the afternoon, especially on the Atlantique line, which had been completely halted. “At Montparnasse station and Bordeaux station, which were the most affected, we should find one in three trains running this afternoon. Things are already improving," he said.
The coordinated train line attacks targeted remote locations far from the capital, where 35,000 police officers are being deployed each day for the Olympics, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony. Also Friday, the French airport of Basel-Mulhouse on the border with Germany and Switzerland was evacuated in the morning and shut down briefly “for safety reasons," the airport said. It wasn't clear whether there was a connection to the rail attacks.In the station's crowded hall, Maiwenn Labbé-Sorin said she spent hours stranded on a train before it doubled back to Paris.
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