DIRECT. Attack on the SNCF: 50 people arrested, Gérald Darmanin discusses their profile

“LIVE. Attack on SNCF: 50 people arrested, Gérald Darmanin discusses their profile”

After the sabotage of SNCF train lines and the claim sent in an anonymous email to several media, Gérald Darmanin announced this Monday the arrest of “around fifty people”.

The essentials

• Several SNCF lines were sabotaged during the night of Thursday 25 to Friday 26 July, blocking traffic on many routes.
• This Monday, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin acknowledged “the traditional mode of action of the ultra-left” and announced “the arrest of “about fifty people” who “clearly with others, estimated at 150” on France 2.
• The action was claimed with an email sent to several media outlets on Saturday. The anonymous author claims to have wanted to impact the Olympic Games.
• Investigators remain cautious about the email lead, however: “The tone of the email, its form, the gap between the facts and the day it was sent raises questions for us,” notes a source close to the case to 20 Minutes. “Its authenticity must be analyzed, it could all “is a letter of opportunity, a group that wants to use what happened to get a message across,” says a source within the gendarmerie.

Live

11:02 – A far-left activist arrested on an SNCF site this Sunday

A far-left activist was arrested on Sunday July 28 on an SNCF site in Oissel (Seine-Maritime), AFP learned this Monday from a police source. The man has already been convicted in the past for intrusions on SNCF sites, specifies BFMTV. He is considered by the authorities to belong to the far-left, and was at the time of the events, “equipped” “tools that could be used to cause damage,” a source told BFMTV. A set of universal keys was also found in the suspect's vehicle. Although he had on him the book “The Vertigo of the Riot”, a sociological essay on the recent rioting events, it is unfortunately impossible to link it to the acts of sabotage that occurred last Friday.

10:57 – “About fifty investigators mobilized”

After the heavy damage caused by the sabotage of the TGV network last Friday, the resigned Minister of Transport Patrice Vergriete announced that he had “already mobilized around fifty investigators” on this case, without providing any new information. “We have identified a certain number of profiles of people who could have committed this sabotage,” he said. the resigning Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, on France 2. As a reminder, an investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor's office.

On the night of Sunday to Monday, six departments were affected by sabotage of fiber optic networks of several operators such as SFR or Free, according to information from AFP. Actions that occur only a few days after the massive attack that the SNCF was the victim of and that paralyzed the TGV network for almost three days. If Paris was not affected, here are the departments concerned: 

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• Bouches-du-Rhône;
• Aude, l'Oise;
• Hérault ;
• Meuse ;
• Drôme.

10:13 – "This may be a claim of opportunityé" temper Gérald Darmanin

After the anonymous email claiming responsibility for the attack in the name of a desire to sabotage the Olympic Games sent to several media outlets on Saturday, July 27, the Minister of the Interior wanted to tone things down on Monday. It is “something that looks like a claim”, but “we have to be careful because it could be a claim of opportunity”. The Top Cop of France also wanted to point out that “the country had organized the biggest “event in the world”, with the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics taking place without any major incident.

10:08 – About “fifty people” arrested, confides Gérald Darmanin

In the Télématin program, Gérald Darmanin was also questioned about the arrest of several activists from the Extinction Rebellion movement. Information confirmed by the Minister of the Interior. About “fifty people” were arrested. They “were demonstrating with others, estimated at 150, who wanted to carry out either sabotage or radical protests against Paris during the first rounds of the Olympics,” he continues.

10:05 – “This is the traditional mode of action of the ultra-left,” confirms Gérald Darmanin

Present on the France 2 set this Monday, July 29, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin returned to the attack that the SNCF was the victim of last weekend. For him, “it is the traditional mode of action of the ultra-left”. On the other hand, “we must be careful” concerning their profile. “The question is whether they were manipulated or is it for their own benefit. “These are people who can get close to this movement,” he said.

Learn more

The SNCF network was the victim of three acts of sabotage on its TGV network during the night of Thursday 25 to Friday 26 July. In a press release, the railway company informed that “deliberate fires [had] been started to damage [their] installations”. The TGV Atlantique, Est and Nord lines were affected, which led to delays and cancellations for trains to or from the Montparnasse, Nord and Est stations. A “ malicious act” was foiled for the South-East network.

The public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into “damage to property likely to harm the fundamental interests of the nation”, “damage and attempted damage by dangerous means in an organized gang”, “attacks on an automated processing system” of data in an organized gang”, and “criminal association with a view to committing these crimes and offences”.

An anonymous email claiming responsibility for the attack in the name of a desire to sabotage the Olympic Games was sent to several media outlets on Saturday, July 27. The rhetoric of the text is reminiscent of that of the ultra-left movement. Investigators are studying this lead but question the authenticity of this claim. The possibility of foreign interference is also being considered. Finally, the precision of the sabotage suggests internal participation within the SNCF.