Northern Italy's rail network suffered three separate attacks that authorities have labeled "serious sabotage," according to BBC reports, disrupting transport connections as the Winter Olympics opened.
Law enforcement documented fires, cut cables, and an explosive device across multiple locations. Between Bologna and Venice, flames engulfed railway infrastructure. Police discovered severed cables and an explosive device nearby, according to official statements.
Near Pesaro on the Adriatic coast, unknown perpetrators set fire to a railway switch. Later, investigators found cut electrical cables and an explosive device left beside tracks near Bologna.
The Transport Ministry drew parallels to disruptions during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. "This is an act of serious sabotage," ministry officials stated, referencing the French incidents.
During the Paris Games, unknown actors carried out what France's state railway company SNCF called "coordinated sabotage" on rail lines hours before the opening ceremony, CNN reported at the time. French officials suggested Russia—whose athletes were barred from the opening ceremony—or left-wing radicals might have orchestrated those attacks.
On 7 February, Milan police deployed tear gas and water cannons against dozens of anti-Olympics protesters, AP reported. Demonstrators threw firecrackers and attempted to reach a highway near Winter Olympics venues.
