French police arrested an “ultra-Left activist” at a railway site on Sunday after “coordinated” sabotage attacks caused chaos and disruption ahead of Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony.

The man, who was arrested in Oissel near Rouen, northern France, had “access keys to [the state rail operator] SNCF technical premises” in his vehicle, a police source told Le Parisien.

The source said there were also wire cutters, “a set of universal keys” and other items, as well as literature with links to the ultra-Left.

The arrest came amid reports that the fibreoptic networks of several telecommunications operators in six areas of France were sabotaged overnight on Sunday. 

The departments concerned were Bouches-du-Rhone, Aude, Oise, Herault, Meuse and Drome. Paris has not been affected, security sources said.

The developments came as Gerald Darmanin, the French interior minister, said police had “identified a certain number of profiles who could have committed” the sabotage against high-speed TGV lines on Thursday night. It affected northern, eastern and western France, as well as the London to Paris Eurostar.

Speaking on France 2, Mr Darmanin said the sabotage “was deliberate, very precise and extremely well targeted”, adding: “This is the traditional mode of action of the ultra-Left.”

Asked whether “the profiles identified” were close to the far-Left, he replied: “We have to be careful ... the question is whether they have been manipulated or are acting on their own behalf. These are people who could be close to this movement.”

Mr Darmanin said the investigation was “progressing very well and we will find the people who did it”.

Over the weekend, several French and international media received a mysterious message, signed by an “unexpected delegation”, claiming responsibility.

The message said: ”They call it a celebration? We see it as a celebration of nationalism, a gigantic staging of the subjugation of populations by states.” It also blasted the Games as “a testing ground for police crowd management”.