Massive Hunt in France for Railway Bombs

More than 10,000 railway workers searched all 20,000 miles of French railway tracks for bombs yesterday as police admitted they had no leads in their pursuit of a blackmail gang which has threatened to blow up trains and sites including the Eiffel Tower

March 4, 2004

Search ordered after unknown group threatened to explode 10 planted bombs if it is not paid more than $8 million

PARIS - Ten thousand rail workers combed France's sprawling train track network for bombs yesterday and the government said it had heightened security for commuters alarmed by a shadowy group's threats to blow up trains.

The conservative government, trying to reassure voters ahead of regional elections, vowed to identify and stop the previously unknown group which said it had planted 10 bombs and would explode them if it is not paid more than four million euros (S$8.4 million).

The government said it is treating the threat as a criminal case and ruled out the involvement of radical Islamic groups. Crime specialists said that even a single dangerous crank could be behind the blackmail threats.

Police seemed to have few clues to go on except threatening letters sent to President Jacques Chirac and the Interior Ministry by a group called AFZ, and indirect contacts through a few personal messages placed in Liberation newspaper.

'It's 'give us the money or we'll blow up a train carrying passengers',' a judicial source said of the group.

The threats, which appeared in letters sent on Dec 10, Feb 13 and Feb 17, were first made public only on Wednesday.

The government was criticised yesterday for keeping secret the blackmail plot.

'Once more, the law of silence has prevailed,' the Federation of Transport Users, a commuter's advocacy group, said in a statement.

'The French people should have been informed of the threat, which was known and being taken seriously,' the statement said. 'It was up to them and them alone to decide...whether or not to take the train while the network was not safe.'

The government had earlier urged the media not to report the blackmail scheme to protect efforts to establish contacts with the group. But the Interior Ministry released details on Wednesday after the story leaked.

The letters, demanding sums of US$4 million (S$6.8 million) and one million euros, threatened nine railway targets.

Underlining that the authorities are taking the threats seriously, 10,000 workers searched the 32,000km of state rail track through the night. There was no word of any bombs being found.

'Everybody has been mobilised and I hope we will soon identify the people behind it,' Justice Minister Dominique Perben said.

He said 'measures have been taken for several days' to step up surveillance to protect passengers.

The inspection, which took 30 hours, wrapped up by midday yesterday, said a spokesman for the rail authority. She said that employees were still being contacted to determine if anything suspicious was found.

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