Police discover immobilized vehicle, suspect deliberate tampering
In a series of events that have caused major inconvenience to thousands of travellers, a fire on the Deutsche Bahn line between Duisburg and Düsseldorf, one of Germany's busiest rail routes with 700 to 800 long-distance connections daily, is being treated as deliberate sabotage.
The fire, which occurred in the Düsseldorf city area, has resulted in significant disruptions to the rail traffic and is expected to continue until Friday afternoon. The affected long-distance traffic includes ICE lines to Berlin and Frankfurt am Main, as well as connections to Northern Germany, Southern Germany, and the Netherlands.
Local traffic has also been affected, with the S1 suburban railway line and several regional lines disrupted. The S1 and the RE2, RE3, and RE11 start and end prematurely, with stops between Düsseldorf and Duisburg cancelled. A shuttle bus service has been established to provide alternative transportation between Düsseldorf Airport, Duisburg Central Station, and the main stations of the two cities.
The entire area around Duisburg-Großenbaum in the south of the Ruhr area is not passable due to the repairs needed on the damaged cables. The cables, which belong to a signal box in Duisburg, were laid in the tunnel and must be replaced over a length of 60 meters. Two more damaged cables have been discovered, making the repair work more complex than initially feared.
The police are investigating the incident, including a claim of responsibility published on the left-wing platform Indymedia by a group called "Commando Angry Birds". This group, known to German authorities due to several sabotage acts in the Düsseldorf area over recent years, claimed responsibility for the attacks and justified them with anti-industrial system rhetoric. However, the police spokesman confirmed that the statement from "Commando Angry Birds" is in their possession, and the authenticity of the claim is still being verified.
No alternative perpetrators have been identified, and law enforcement is treating the incidents as coordinated sabotage linked to this group based on the statement they have published. Unknown persons placed an ignition device in the cable tunnel, causing the fire.
The "Commando Angry Birds" is a self-identified left-wing extremist group that has claimed responsibility for multiple acts of sabotage, including recent arson attacks on the important north-south railway line between Düsseldorf and Duisburg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
[1] Police Investigate Sabotage on German Railway Line
[2] Left-wing Extremist Group Claims Responsibility for Railway Sabotage
[3] Disruptions on German Railway Line Due to Sabotage
[4] German Authorities Monitor Left-wing Extremist Group
[1] German authorities are treating the deliberate fire on the Deutsche Bahn line between Duisburg and Düsseldorf as an act of sabotage, causing significant disruptions to public-transit transportation.
[2] A left-wing extremist group called "Commando Angry Birds" has claimed responsibility for the railway sabotage, justifying their actions with anti-industrial system rhetoric.
[3] The fire, resulting in the cancellation of long-distance traffic connections to Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Northern Germany, Southern Germany, and the Netherlands, is expected to continue until Friday afternoon.
[4] The authorities are verifying the claim of responsibility by "Commando Angry Birds," a group known for several sabotage acts in the Düsseldorf area, and are closely monitoring their activities due to ongoing incidents and threats in the finance, industry, and general-news sectors, as well as crime-and-justice concerns.
