Germany investigates recurrent arson attacks on rail lines
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Germany's rail operator says recent cable fires were deliberate, disrupting hundreds of trains. A far-left group claimed responsibility for one of the attacks.
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An ICE speed train is ready to leave the central train station in Frankfurt, Germany, on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 (AP)
Germany’s state-owned rail company, Deutsche Bahn, has reported that a third railway cable fire, following two previous incidents, was deliberately set, marking a coordinated series of attacks that disrupted hundreds of train journeys across the country in just two days.
The latest fire, revealed on Saturday but believed to have occurred the day prior, took place in Hohenmölsen, located in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The damaged line is used primarily for freight transport, including coal deliveries.
“According to the first elements of the inquiry, this cable fire was also a criminal fire,” Deutsche Bahn said in a statement, indicating that authorities are treating all three blazes as intentional acts of sabotage.
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The first two attacks occurred on Thursday and Friday between Düsseldorf and Duisburg in western Germany. Both incidents, which took place only about one kilometer apart, severely affected rail traffic on one of the country’s most critical corridors connecting the Ruhr industrial region to northern Europe and Switzerland.
Deutsche Bahn confirmed that it had repaired the affected section by replacing five 20-meter-long cable segments. Still, the damage caused widespread disruptions. “Several hundred” train journeys had to be cancelled or rerouted, the operator said, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.
Responsibility for the first fire was claimed by a far-left group calling itself the "Angry Birds Kommando." In a statement, the group said the act was intended to protest against what it described as a "system of destruction" targeting the environment.
