Potential involvement of left-wing radical ideology in question
Left-Wing Extremists Strike German Railway Line
A left-wing extremist group, suspected to be the "Kommando Angry Birds," is believed to be responsible for an arson attack on the Duisburg-Düsseldorf railway line on Thursday. The attack disrupted long-distance and regional traffic, affecting ICE lines to Berlin and Frankfurt am Main, as well as connections to North Germany, South Germany, and the Netherlands, and many local lines, including travel to Düssseldorf Airport.
The railway company, Deutsche Bahn, set up a bus shuttle service and rerouted long-distance traffic via Dortmund and Wuppertal. The Duisburg-Düsseldorf line, one of the busiest railway connections in Germany, has been closed since the attack.
The attack resulted in the destruction of cables controlling switches and signals near Düsseldorf, requiring replacement. Repair work began after the investigation was completed, and the railway company expects repairs to be completed by midnight, followed by test runs, and regular service to resume in time for the early Saturday morning rush.
The State Protection Office is investigating the arson attack, and the police have confirmed that the two incendiary devices on the central railway line were of the same design. The authenticity of the claim of responsibility published on the left-wing Indymedia platform is still being checked.
Historically, left-wing extremist violence in Germany includes arson and bomb attacks targeting government institutions and infrastructure, including transport-related targets. The recent attack on the railway line is a reminder of the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to such attacks.
While detailed enumeration of all historical left-wing extremist attacks specifically targeting German railway lines is limited, these groups have used sabotage tactics including arson and bombings against transport infrastructure and state facilities. Earlier groups like the militant group "militante gruppe (mg)" and the Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) have a history of infrastructure attacks consistent with railway sabotage as a tactic.
The police are treating the incident as sabotage, and the railway company admits that it cannot completely protect itself against such criminal attacks. However, the ongoing digitization of the railway network will improve the situation in the future, as such cable attack points will no longer exist.
The number of passengers affected by the significant disruptions over the two days remains unclear. The Transport Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Oliver Krischer, condemned the attack and vowed a thorough investigation.
References:
[1] "Left-wing extremist violence in Germany," Wikipedia, last modified 25 March 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_extremist_violence_in_Germany
[3] "Kommando Angry Birds claims responsibility for German train line arson attack," Deutsche Welle, 1 April 2025, https://www.dw.com/en/kommando-angry-birds-claims-responsibility-for-german-train-line-arson-attack/a-60802497
The arson attack on the Duisburg-Düsseldorf railway line, a critical infrastructure target, has been linked to left-wing extremist group Kommando Angry Birds, disrupting long-distance and regional traffic across Germany and the Netherlands. This incident serves as a reminder of the historical use of sabotage tactics by left-wing extremist groups in Germany, such as militante gruppe (mg) and Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ), against transport infrastructure and state facilities.
