Possible Extreme Left-Wing Motivation Uncovered
In a series of disturbing events, a left-wing extremist group known as the "Angry Birds Kommando" is suspected to have carried out an arson attack on the Duisburg-Düsseldorf railway line. The attack, which occurred on Thursday, has caused significant disruptions to rail services and affected connections as far as Berlin and the Netherlands.
The second firebomb was discovered during an inspection on Friday, about two kilometers away from the first attack site. It is suspected that the second firebomb was also set off on Thursday. The authenticity of the claim of responsibility for the attack, which was published on the left-wing platform "Indymedia," is still being checked by the police.
The Angry Birds Kommando, a group characterised as a left-wing extremist campaign, is known for several sabotage acts in the Düsseldorf area. They have targeted critical railway infrastructure, causing major disruptions locally. The group has claimed responsibility for the attack, stating they acted to stop a "system of destruction," focusing on environmental issues.
The attack resulted in the destruction of five thick cables, each 20 meters long, controlling switches and signals near Düsseldorf. The German Railway expects repairs to be completed by midnight, followed by test runs, and trains to run on schedule again by the early morning on Saturday. Construction work on a parallel freight line in Duisburg-Wedau was temporarily suspended to handle some of the traffic on that route.
The railway company has set up a bus shuttle service and rerouted long-distance traffic via Dortmund and Wuppertal due to the disruptions. However, the number of passengers affected by the disruptions over the two days is currently unclear.
North Rhine-Westphalia Transport Minister Oliver Krischer has decried "enormous damage" and vowed a thorough investigation. The police are investigating the attack as sabotage, and the state security department is also involved in the investigation.
The ongoing digitization of the rail network will improve the situation in the future, as such cable attack points will no longer exist. However, until then, the vulnerability of critical infrastructure remains a concern.
[1] Indymedia [2] Deutsche Welle [3] BBC News [4] The Guardian
- The General-news outlets, including Indymedia, have reported on the suspicious claim of responsibility for the arson attack on the Duisburg-Düsseldorf railway line by the Angry Birds Kommando, a known left-wing extremist group.
- The crime-and-justice authorities are investigating the attack as sabotage and are still verifying the authenticity of the claim, as the attack has disrupted rail services, affecting connections as far as Berlin and the Netherlands, and caused significant damage to critical railway infrastructure.
