On Friday, portions of France's railway system were paralyzed due to what has been deemed a "coordinated act of vandalism." Tracks servicing high-speed TGV INOUI, Eurostar, and ICE lines in the north of the country were rendered inoperable, leading the railways to either re-route trains with lengthy delays, or cancel the journeys altogether.

The arson attack came as thousands were making their way to Paris from across the country and the rest of Europe to attend the Olympics. The opening ceremony is set to take place Friday night.

In a statement, the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français explained that the perpetrators committed "several concurrent acts of malicious damage," during the night, targeting the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines with fire.