After an embankment fire: Suspected sabotage on a railroad line

An act of sabotage is suspected to be the cause of the fire on the major rail line between Düsseldorf and Cologne. This was reported by security sources. Meanwhile, a purported claim of responsibility has appeared on the left-wing platform indymedia.org. The rail line has been closed since Friday. It is still unclear when trains will resume regular service.

The group “Kommando Angry Birds” released the letter. In it, the group states that it is responsible “for the sabotage of the railroad line north of Leverkusen.” Incendiary devices were reportedly placed in a cable trench.

Security officials believe the letter is genuine, according to the German Press Agency. It is considered unlikely that a technical malfunction could have caused the embankment fire along the railroad tracks. WDR was the first to report on the letter claiming responsibility.

About a year ago, the far-left extremist group “Kommando Angry Birds” also claimed responsibility for an attack on the main rail line between Düsseldorf and Duisburg.

The Cologne Police Department's State Security Division had already taken over the investigation on Friday. A police spokesperson said they were investigating whether a criminal offense had been committed and whether the fire had been set intentionally.

Section Remains Closed

It is still unclear when the closed section will reopen. On Saturday afternoon, a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn said that no estimate could currently be given as to when the line would be open to traffic again. The closure is causing detours, delays, and the cancellation of some trains on both local and long-distance routes.

What happened?

According to Deutsche Bahn, the embankment between Langenfeld and Leverkusen caught fire in two places on Friday morning. The fire department extinguished the fires, but the blaze caused damage to several signal cables, preventing trains from running on that section of the line.