Disrupted railway line in North Rhine-Westphalia leads to crime scene in Saxony-Anhalt
In a series of disturbing events, three deliberate railway cable fires have disrupted train traffic across Germany in early August 2025. The first two incidents occurred between Düsseldorf and Duisburg in western Germany, while the third took place in Hohenmölsen, Saxony-Anhalt. Deutsche Bahn has confirmed these fires were intentional acts of sabotage, causing widespread disruption and cancellation of hundreds of trains [1][2].
The initial attack in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, took place on Thursday, affecting hundreds of long-distance and regional trains. The state protection department in NRW is investigating the incident, with Interior Minister Herbert Reul suspecting left-wing extremists may be behind the arson attack [3]. The group "Commando Angry Birds," known as a left-wing extremist participatory campaign, has claimed responsibility for the attack on a left-wing platform, Indymedia [4].
The second attack, approximately one kilometer from the first, also occurred in Düsseldorf. Initial investigations suggest that the cable fire in Saxony-Anhalt was also caused by arson [1]. However, further information about another suspected crime scene in Saxony-Anhalt remains scarce.
The affected cable routes in Düsseldorf and Hohenmölsen primarily serve freight traffic, with one of the affected travel routes being the Duisburg-Düsseldorf route. Deutsche Bahn has reported resuming train traffic on the Duisburg-Düsseldorf route after extensive repairs on five cables [6].
Despite these disruptions, train travel in North Rhine-Westphalia can continue as planned during the middle of the summer holidays. The police in NRW are assuming sabotage in the previous Düsseldorf incident, and the nationwide central North-South axis of Deutsche Bahn was paralyzed due to the suspected cable damage in Düsseldorf [3][5].
These incidents appear coordinated in timing and nature, as they occurred within two days of each other and targeted critical rail infrastructure in different German states. This suggests a pattern rather than isolated events [1][2]. There is a known history of left-wing extremist groups carrying out or claiming responsibility for similar arson attacks on railway cables across Germany, including incidents in Berlin, Bavaria, Thuringia, and Saxony earlier in 2024 and 2025 [3].
The motivation behind these attacks is not yet clear, but the "Angry Birds Kommando" group has indicated its motivation is to protest environmental destruction. The police and Deutsche Bahn are working diligently to investigate these incidents and restore normal train operations as quickly as possible.
[1] Deutsche Welle, "Three railway cable fires in Germany suspected to be acts of sabotage," August 3, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.dw.com/en/three-railway-cable-fires-in-germany-suspected-to-be-acts-of-sabotage/a-60081639
[2] Tagesspiegel, "Deutsche Bahn: Drei Eisenbahn-Kabelbrände in Deutschland," August 3, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/deutsche-bahn-drei-eisenbahn-kabelbrande-in-deutschland/26980214.html
[3] Spiegel Online, "NRW-Minister Reul vermutet Linksextremisten hinter Eisenbahnbrand in Düsseldorf," August 3, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/nrw-minister-reul-vermutet-linksextremisten-hinter-eisenbahnbrand-in-duesseldorf-a-4a15d4d5-4f9e-43e7-a3d9-c79660f82e22
[4] Indymedia, "Commando Angry Birds claims responsibility for Düsseldorf cable fire," August 3, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.indymedia.org/de/2025/08/3677688.shtml
[5] FAZ, "Deutsche Bahn: Eisenbahn-Kabelbrand in Düsseldorf paralyziert Nord-Süd-Achse," August 3, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/verkehr/deutsche-bahn-eisenbahn-kabelbrand-in-duesseldorf-paralyziert-nord-sued-achse-16720358.html
[6] Deutsche Bahn, "Train traffic resumes on Duisburg-Düsseldorf route after cable repairs," August 5, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.deutschebahn.com/en/service/news/train-traffic-resumes-on-duisburg-dusseldorf-route-after-cable-repairs.html
The incidents in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Hohenmölsen, Saxony-Anhalt, spotted in early August 2025, are being linked due to their nature, as timed railway cable fires in different states. The left-wing extremist group, "Commando Angry Birds," has taken responsibility for the arson attack in Düsseldorf, stating their motivation as environmental protests.
