First, arson attacks on France’s national rail connection left nearly one million travelers stranded.
It is unclear who or what group could be behind these acts and whether they are related.
But so far, suspicions have fallen on ultra-left activists and Russia.
Internet services throughout France were disrupted after fiber optic cables were cut in an apparent act ofsabotage.
The attacks occurred on Sunday night and affected major French telecom firms including Bouygues, SFR, and Free.
An SFR spokesperson toldLe Mondethat the damage could only have been done with an “axe or grinder.”
“It’s vandalism,” said Nicolas Chatin, spokesman for SFR.
Ultimately, the group said that only 10,000 fixed-line customers had been affected.
However, the affected areas include the region around Marseille, which is hosting Olympic football and sailing competitions.
Internet outagestatisticsindicate that problems started around 02:00 local time, primarily affecting Free’s data pipe.
The incident comes just days after arson attacks targeted France’s national rail online grid, SNCF.
They were specifically directed at cables transmitting safety information for train operators.
Nearly one million travelers were stranded as a result.
French authorities have already arrested an activist in connection with the railway attack.
Several politicians believe that “ultra-left” activists might be behind the attacks on the rail web link.
Another theory is thatRussiais behind the attacks.
Earlier in July, a Russian national was arrested for planning to “destabilize the Olympics.”
In particular, cables in urban environments are vulnerable because they are harder to protect and monitor.
