Police in Germany probe suspected acts of railway sabotage
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A suspected arson attack on July 31 caused widespread and ongoing disruption to rail services, including long-distance trains to destinations across Germany and abroad.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Sabotage incidents on a busy railway line between Duesseldorf and Duisburg caused widespread disruption to rail services in Germany.
- A far-left group, "Angry Birds Kommando" claimed responsibility for one attack, citing environmental concerns and a "system of destruction."
- These suspected arson attacks are part of a series of sabotage incidents on German railways in recent years, with similar motives.
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BERLIN - Police said on Aug 1 they had detected two suspected acts of sabotage over the past 48 hours on a busy railway in western Germany.
The suspected arson attacks took place between the cities of Duesseldorf and Duisburg in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia.
The first was detected on July 31, causing widespread and ongoing disruption to rail services including long-distance trains to destinations across Germany and abroad.
A far-left group calling itself the “Angry Birds Kommando” later posted a message on the leftwing news site Indymedia, claiming responsibility for the attack.
It said they had acted to stop a “system of destruction” of the environment.
Police say they were looking into the authenticity of the claim.
The site of the second attack was discovered on Aug 1, around 1km away from the first. It is also suspected to have involved arson.
Several suspected acts of sabotage have taken place on Germany’s railways in recent years.
In September 2023, police said they were probing what they said were politically motivated fires on pipes holding railway cables near Hamburg.
At that time, an anonymous letter was published claiming responsibility. It said the “sabotage” was carried out to protest “neo-colonial exploitation and earth destroying extraction of raw materials”.
In October 2022, important communications cables were cut at two sites in Berlin and in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, causing travel chaos for thousands. AFP
