France
Suspect admits derailing Lyon train

The principle suspect in the

photo: Euronews

deliberate derailment of the Vintimglia-Calais train yesterday (04 June) is reported to have admitted to his part in the incident telling police that he had acted alone.
The train was derailed after running into iron bars that had been placed on the track. Two people, the train driver and a passenger died in the incident. A further fifteen people were injured in the incident which occurred at 00:20 (local time).

The derailment occurred just as the train was leaving the station at Chasse-sur-Rhone near Lyon. Nine coaches and the locomotive were derailed.

The suspect, who is of Algerian nationality has been placed in custody. French anti-terrorist police officers who took over the investigation from the Grenoble Gendermerie have not ruled out a political motive. A network in the region, sympathetic to the Algerian GIA was broken-up in 1995

According to police sources, the 32 year old man has a history of mental illness and is known to have radical Islamic views.

After the derailment of the train on Sunday morning, the presence of ends of rails on the track alerted investigators to the possibility of sabotage. Several minutes before the derailment another train had passed the same spot without incident.

Earlier story

Train deliberately derailed near Lyon
04 Jun 2000

Web sources:

Accident du train Vintimille-Calais: le suspect avoue les faits
Euronews 05 Jun 2000

Man held over France train deaths
BBC Online 04 Jun 2000

Vandalism suspected in deadly train crash
ITN 04 Jun 2000

Four Britons hurt in French rail crash
ThisIsLondon 04 Jun 2000