Eurostar and other French high-speed rail networks were thrown into chaos on Friday as a series of arson attacks disrupting travel to Paris only hours before the Olympic opening ceremony.

Arsonists attacked France's high-speed rail network early Friday, setting fires that paralyzed train travel to Paris for some 800,000 people across Europe, including athletes heading to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Arson attacks on France’s rail network have taken place in what police say is a "massive attack to destabilize the railway system," hours before the Olympic Games begin.