Train movements continue uninterrupted in North Rhine-Westphalia, while a fresh crime scene emerges in Saxony-Anhalt
In a series of disturbing events, left-wing extremist groups have been targeting railway infrastructure across Germany, causing significant disruptions to train services. The latest incidents have been reported in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Saxony-Anhalt, with the group known as the "Angry Birds Commando" claiming responsibility for the attacks in NRW.
The Angry Birds Commando has been identified by German authorities as a left-wing extremist collective. They have openly claimed responsibility for multiple acts of sabotage in NRW, particularly around Düsseldorf and Duisburg, causing disruptions to one of Germany's busiest train corridors.
These attacks are part of a broader wave of left-wing extremist sabotage targeting railway infrastructure that has been observed since 2024. Incidents have been reported in Berlin, southern Thuringia, and Saxony, which is adjacent to Saxony-Anhalt. Left-wing extremist groups or individuals have claimed responsibility via leftist platforms for arson attacks on cable ducts and railway signal systems, aiming to disrupt capitalist infrastructure and railway operations perceived as complicit in military and colonial activities.
Authorities have treated these incidents as sabotage with an ideological motivation linked to left-wing extremism. Investigations suggest that the methods and motivations of these actions are consistent across the different states, indicating ideologically connected or inspired attacks rather than isolated incidents. However, while the NRW attacks have been openly claimed by the Angry Birds Commando, some other regional attacks (including those in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt) have allegations but not always confirmed public claims of responsibility.
In Saxony-Anhalt, the police are investigating the Hohenmölsen incident as sabotage. A cable fire was discovered in Hohenmölsen on Friday evening, affecting the Duisburg-Düsseldorf route of Deutsche Bahn, a freight route used for coal transports. Initial investigations suggest that the cable fire was deliberately set, and the state's criminal investigation department is handling the case.
The arson attack impacted hundreds of long-distance and regional trains, affecting tens of thousands of travelers, including commuters and vacationers. However, the connection between the incidents in NRW and Saxony-Anhalt is still unclear.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the situation has eased, and train passengers can continue their journeys as planned. Deutsche Bahn reported another suspected arson incident in Hohenmölsen, Saxony-Anhalt, but the repair work was completed, and the replacement bus service is no longer necessary in Düsseldorf and Duisburg.
These coordinated or ideologically aligned attacks highlight the growing threat of left-wing extremism in Germany and the need for increased vigilance and cooperation among authorities to protect critical infrastructure and ensure the safety of the public.
The Angry Birds Commando, identified as a left-wing extremist collective, has been openly claiming responsibility for multiple acts of sabotage on railway infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), particularly around Düsseldorf and Duisburg, which belong to the general-news category.
In response to the increasing number of left-wing extremist attacks on railway infrastructure, authorities in Saxony-Anhalt are currently investigating an arson attack on a cable in Hohenmölsen as sabotage, falling under crime-and-justice, aiming to disrupt capitalist infrastructure.
