(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) In a bizarre twist of events, Vincent Flibustier, an X user known for his viral pranks, has claimed responsibility for the recent disruptions in France's high-speed rail network. This comes just days after he falsely took credit for a global Microsoft outage.
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On July 19, a worldwide outage hit Windows computers, attributed to a malfunctioning update of the 'Falcon Sensor' anti-virus program by CrowdStrike. Flibustier, posing as a CrowdStrike employee, went viral with an AI-generated image of himself outside the company's office, humorously captioned, "First day at CrowdStrike, pushed a little update and taking the afternoon off."
Yesterday, France experienced significant disruptions in its high-speed rail network due to three separate arson attacks. The timing of these attacks was especially disruptive, as they coincided with the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The full impact of these incidents has yet to be determined, but the immediate effects have been severe.
In a similar stunt to his previous viral hoax, Flibustier uploaded an AI-generated image of himself in front of a poster of the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF), France's state-owned railway company. The post quickly gained traction, further adding to his notoriety.
The rail network has been thrown into chaos, with approximately 800,000 passengers expected to be affected over the weekend. A quarter of a million passengers were already impacted on Friday. Delays of 90 minutes to two hours were reported on services between Paris and northern and eastern France. However, the line to France's southeast remained operational thanks to vigilant rail maintenance workers who intervened before unauthorized individuals could cause further damage.
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Eurostar, the high-speed rail operator connecting France with the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, announced that about 25% of its services would be canceled, including trains from Paris to London. Remaining services will operate more slowly on regular lines.
The disruption has not only affected Olympic visitors but also those traveling for summer holidays, amplifying the scale of the inconvenience. The French authorities are yet to determine the exact perpetrators and motives behind the arson attacks.
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