Vandalism hits communication lines in France during Paris Olympics

PARIS (AP) — The French government says several telecommunications lines have been hit by acts of vandalism, affecting fiber lines and landline and mobile phone lines, as cities around France host events for the Olympics in Paris 2024.

The extent of the impact is unclear, as well as whether it affected any Olympic activities. The vandalism came after a violent attack hit train networks around France on Friday, hours before the Olympics opening ceremony.

Marina Ferrari, secretary of state for digital affairs, posted on X that damage in several regions from Sunday night into Monday affected telecommunications operators. She said this resulted in a localized impact on access to fiber and landline and mobile phone lines.

The organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games did not immediately comment.

A French official said at least six of France’s administrative departments were affected, including the region around the Mediterranean city of Marseille, which hosts Olympic soccer and sailing competitions.

Telecom operators Bouygues and Free have confirmed that their services have been affected. French media say lines operated by supplier SFR have also been affected. Free’s parent company said its teams were being mobilized to restore services.

A national investigation is underway into last week’s train sabotage, which disrupted travel for almost a million passengers in France, as well as people in London and other neighboring countries. Rail traffic was largely resumed by Monday.

French media reported that a far-left activist was arrested on Sunday at a railway facility in the Seine-Maritime region of western France. But the Paris prosecutor’s office said it was unrelated to what happened on Friday and that no one had been arrested so far in the national investigation into the arson attacks.

The Associated Press