Anarchists arrested in France

PARIS, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- French officials say they've arrested 10 alleged members of a violent anarchist gang accused of sabotaging the country's railway system.

The arrests, announced Monday, eased a sense of panic among rail officials, who had deployed 300 police officers to find the saboteurs who damaged overhead power cables for France's SNCF high-speed trains, the Times of London reported.

The suspects, ages 23 to 33, were taken into custody in Paris, Normandy and eastern and central France and had links to anarchist groups is Britain, Germany, Belgium, Greece and Italy, authorities said. The episode has sparked fears that France may be seeing a resurgence of the left-wing extremist of the 1970s and 1980s.

"These individuals are characterized by a total rejection of any democratic expression of political opinion and an extremely violent tone," French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told reporters.

Police say the alleged anarchists suspended iron bars from power cables above four separate tracks in northern and central France overnight Saturday. When sweeper trains came out to perform routine track checks at 5 a.m., they came into contact with the bars and brought down the power lines, the Times said.