LONDON

Following three attempts to disrupt railways earlier this month, suspected sabotage disrupted Italy’s high-speed rail network Saturday, causing hours-long delays, with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini condemning the incidents as “criminal acts.”

The Rome-Naples and Rome-Florence high-speed lines were affected by what authorities described as new sabotage attempts, as the Winter Olympics Games are underway in Italy.

Police confirmed that a manhole had been tampered with in Rome’s Salaria district, resulting in burnt cables, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Authorities have opened an investigation.

In a separate incident in Capena, a technical fault was reported. Another incident occurred on Via di Salone, on the outskirts of Rome.

Salvini, who also serves as transport minister, denounced the disruptions.

“Surveillance has been increased and we have stepped up inspections to root out these criminals, hoping that no one downplays or justifies criminal acts that put people’s lives at risk,” Salvini wrote on the US-based social media platform X.

Earlier this week, an anarchist group claimed responsibility for the three attempted acts of sabotage targeting railway lines in Italy on Feb. 7, the same day the first competitions of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics were held.