Investigations into the fire on a freight train line in Saxony-Anhalt are now being handled by the State Authority - Investigators in Saxony-Anhalt are probing a blaze that erupted on a freight railway track.
In a series of deliberate acts of sabotage, unknown perpetrators set fire to crucial railway infrastructure in Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia, causing significant disruptions to train services across Germany.
The first incident occurred on Friday in Saxony-Anhalt, where a cable shaft containing data and signal connections on a freight railway line was set ablaze. This attack resulted in the failure of a crossing and disrupted the operation of the freight railway line. Another damage was discovered about a kilometer away from the initial attack site. The state protection has taken over the investigation into this fire, and as of Sunday, the investigations are ongoing.
The region where the incident occurred is home to an open-pit coal mine, but the mine was not directly affected by the fire. Repair of the damaged cable strands took until Saturday morning, and extensive repair work has been carried out to replace the damaged cable sections. Train services on affected routes have gradually resumed, though some delays persist.
On Thursday, another arson attack occurred on railway facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia. Cable connections to a signal box in Düsseldorf were destroyed, causing significant disruptions in train traffic between Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The state protection is also investigating this incident, and the repairs are yet to be completed.
A far-left group called "Angry Birds Kommando" claimed responsibility for the attacks near Düsseldorf, stating their motive as protest against the "system of destruction" harming the environment. The authenticity of this claim is being checked.
These arson attacks have disrupted hundreds of trains across Germany, severely impacting one of Germany's key rail corridors connecting the Ruhr industrial region to northern Europe. The Interior Minister, Herbert Reul, has confirmed the attacks as deliberate with political motivation. Authorities are linking the incidents to far-left extremists and continue to determine the full scope and backgrounds of those responsible.
- The deliberate arson attacks on railway infrastructure in Saxony-Anhalt and North Rhine-Westphalia, classified as acts of sabotage, are being investigated under the community policy and crime-and-justice sections of general-news, as they have disrupted hundreds of trains and caused significant disruptions to train services across Germany.
- Amid ongoing investigations into these arson attacks, which include vocational training for the state protection officers to gather evidence and trace the perpetrators, there's a growing concern that such acts of extremism could escalate and affect vocational training programs and other key infrastructures in Germany.
