Paris RECAP: Gare du Nord chaos as bomb threat sparks train station evacuation

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Anarchists or extreme leftists may be behind the arson attacks, two senior law enforcement and intelligence officials told NBC.

This came after security sources in France told French news outlet they suspected ultra-left radicals may be involved in the attacks due to the modus operandi used to carry them out.

The Paris prosecutor's office, which has opened an investigation into the arson attacks, said perpetrators risk a major prison sentence and fines.

Crimes involving "degradation and attempted degradation by dangerous means in an organised group", the office explained, can carry a 20-year prison sentence and fines of up to €150,000 (£126,642).

The British Transport Department has issued a warning to UK tourists set to travel to France, urging them to check the FCDO travel advice and their travel operator.

A message on X by the ministry read: "We are in close contact with Eurostar and the French authorities regarding the disruption to the French rail network.

"If you're planning to travel today, please check ahead before leaving and follow operator and FCDO travel advice."

Eurostar issued an update on the travel chaos sparked by the arson attacks.

A spokesperson said that the diversion of all high-speed trains to and from Paris was extending journey time by up to an hour and a half.

They added: "Today, Eurostar will cancel 25 percent of its trains. It will also be the case on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28."

The spokesperson also said: "Eurostar’s teams are fully mobilised in stations, in the call centres, and onboard to ensure that all passengers are informed and can reach their destination."

Eurostar customers were being informed via email, text and on the website about any disruption that could affect them.

Customers have also been given the possibility to either cancel free of charge, be refunded or modify their journey.

Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee, said to have "full confidence in the French authorities" after the arson attacks on the SNCF network. 

Speaking ahead of the Opening Ceremony, he said: "I have no concerns."

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said there was "already a new traffic plan in preparation" to be unveiled this afternoon to offer "alternative solutions".

Upon leaving the crisis unit of the Ministry of Transport, he told C News: "This operation has been prepared," confirmed the Prime Minister, indicating that the concern was, for the time being, to "propose alternatives, solutions and work to restore the network."

In an update provided on its website, the EuroAirport wrote: "The airport has reopened and flight operations are gradually restarting. Passengers are requested to contact their airline for information about their flight." 

It did not explain the reason behind the closure earlier this morning. 

Providing an update on the reported bomb threat at Gare du Nord in Paris, journalist Jean-Baptiste Marty wrote on X, citing a police source: "They were discovered on the tracks by the police. The security perimeter is gradually lifted (police source)". 

Journalist Jean-Baptiste Marty reported on X: "A bomb threat is in progress at Gare du Nord in Paris. The entire perimeter around the station and within the station is cordoned off."

The journalist said "two suspicious packages" had been reported in the area.

The international EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, located in the French Alsace near the border with Switzerland and Germany, has been evacuated "for security reasons".

A statement on the airport's website read: "For safety reasons, the terminal had to be evacuated and is currently closed. Further information will follow."

Eurostar confirmed in a message on X that the arson acts impacted multiple trains, with some being cancelled and other delayed. 

French security services suspect ultra-left radicals may be responsible for the arson attacks, news outlets in France have reported.

Security sources cited by Le Figaro and C NEWS said they were not yet certain who was behind the incidents. 

However, in view of the incendiary modus operandi used to carry out the arson attacks, they are leaning towards "the environmentalist movements of the ultra-left and protesters". 

While transports have been majorly distrupted by the arson attacks on the high-speed rail lines hours before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, the organisers of the event appear to be facing more hiccups.

The Daily Mail's sports correspondent Mike Keegan wrote on X: "The chief of #Paris2024 has cancelled a press conference on tonight’s Opening Ceremony 20 minutes before it was due to start with no explanation. I understand it is related to the absence of two of the technical directors who have been called away to work on fine-tuning."

He added Paris is being battered by heavy rain.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal issued a statement on X, in which he described the attacks as "acts of sabotage" that were "carried out in a prepared and coordinated manner".

He added: "The consequences on the rail network are massive and serious.

"I express my sincere gratitude to our firefighters who intervened on the affected sites and to the SNCF agents who will carry out the necessary work to restore the network.

"I think of all the French people, all the families, who were preparing to go on vacation. I share their anger and salute their patience, their understanding and the civic-mindedness they demonstrate.

"Our intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilised to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts."

SNCF employees and police officers were spotted analysing one of the areas impacted by the arson attacks - Croiselles, in northern France.

Laurent Nuñez, the chief of Paris police, said security will be further strengthened at stations and around rail installations as the Olympic Games are hours away from starting.

Central Paris is currently surrounded by a ring of steel, with tens of thousands of police officers patrolling an area enclosed by 40,000 metal barriers.

Eurostar services between London and Paris have been hit by the arson attacks, likely impacting hundreds of travellers just ahead of the Olympic weekend.

Several trains have been reportedly cancelled already, while others were diverted and journey times increased by 90 minutes.

French train operator SNCF said the arson attacks were designed to "paralyse" the rail network.

The company told AFP: "This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network."

Police officers have swarmed the Champs-Elysées avenue in the heart of Paris after spotting an abandoned luggage at a pedestrian crossing.

Hours before the official beginning of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, French journalist Samuel Levy published a photo on X showing a black bag left in the street, with several police officers surrounding it.

He wrote: "Suspicious package, luggage abandoned on Avenue des Champs-Elysées. Security perimeter operated by police and soldiers."

France's Transport Minister, Patrice Vergriete, denounced the arson as "coordinated malicious acts".

He wrote on X: "Coordinated malicious acts targeted several TGV lines last night and will seriously disrupt traffic until this weekend.

"I strongly condemn these criminal actions which will compromise the vacation departures of many French people. A big thank you to the #SNCF teams, on the bridge to restore traffic conditions as quickly as possible."

France's state-owned railway operator SNCF said the arson attacks are likely to impact timetables for days on end severely and urged people who can to postpone their journeys.

Some Paris stations are already filled to the brim in light of the arson attacks that created major disruption along French rail lines.

Pictures from the Gare Montparnasse train station in Paris show hundreds of people crowding under the information boards hoping to get some fresh information about their scheduled travels. 

Good morning from London. I’m Alice Scarsi, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the ongoing incidents in Paris.