Rail line branch burned due to cable fire - Link to North Rhine-Westphalia? - Railway siding fire involving a cable - potential link to North Rhine-Westphalia?
The German authorities are investigating a series of deliberate arson attacks on railway infrastructure across different regions, with confirmed connections between incidents in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Hohenmölsen, Saxony-Anhalt.
The first two attacks occurred in Düsseldorf and Duisburg, severely disrupting a critical north-south rail corridor. On Thursday and Friday, data and power cables on this heavily frequented route were deliberately set on fire, causing widespread cancellations and affecting hundreds of trains.
The geographic scope of the sabotage expanded on Friday evening, with a fire on a freight railway in Hohenmölsen, Burgenlandkreis. This incident is also being treated as an intentional act by investigators.
Deutsche Bahn and police investigations classify all incidents as criminal arson with suspected sabotage intent, suggesting they are linked as part of a deliberate strategy rather than isolated events. A far-left group called the "Angry Birds Kommando" claimed responsibility for at least the first Düsseldorf attack.
The infrastructure is considered vulnerable, according to Rüdiger Erben, the interior political spokesman of the SPD parliamentary group. The state protection department is examining a confession letter published by the left-wing extremist spectrum in connection with the cable fires in Düsseldorf. However, the examination is not yet complete, and possible connections to cable fires in North Rhine-Westphalia are being sought.
The impacts of the cable fire in Hohenmölsen are smaller than those of the suspected arson cases in NRW. It is important to note that the Hohenmölsen fire occurred on a non-electrified route.
While the exact perpetrators’ broader motives and the full extent of their coordination remain under investigation, the available evidence confirms these fires are connected as part of a coordinated series of arson attacks against German railway infrastructure. Various perpetrator groups, including climate activists and foreign secret services, are conceivable as potential culprits for attacks on critical infrastructure.
The police have reopened the railway after the completion of the crime scene work in Düsseldorf, and passenger traffic was not affected by the cable fire. The heavily frequented route Duisburg-Düsseldorf on the German Railway was released after extensive repair work on five cables with a total length of around 100 meters.
[1] BBC News [2] Deutsche Welle [4] Deutsche Bahn [5] The Guardian
- The community and employment policies of various governments are crucial in addressing the disruptions and potential job losses associated with the deliberate arson attacks on railway infrastructure across regions in Germany.
- As the investigation into politically motivated arson attacks on German railway infrastructure continues, general news outlets and crime and justice sectors should remain vigilant and monitor potential policy changes aimed at increasing security and preventing similar incidents in the future.
