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https://scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3195361/germany-rail-attack-targeted-and-professional-say-police Europe
Germany rail attack ‘targeted and professional,’ say police
- Rail traffic in northern Germany was stopped for several hours on Saturday after cables were severed in ‘sabotage’
- On top of explosion of gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, concerns raised over possible links to Berlin’s support for Ukraine
A forensic police officer stands next to police vehicles near a German railway station. State security services have taken the lead in investigating the apparent sabotage of train lines in northern Germany that brought transport to a halt for hours. Photo: dpa
The severing of cables that disrupted train travel in Germany on Saturday was highly “professional”, the head of the country’s police union said, according to German media.
“This was a targeted and professional attack on the railroads,” Andreas Rosskopf, the chairman of the main police union, told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland.
Rail traffic in northern Germany was halted for several hours on Saturday after cables needed to operate trains safely were severed in what Transport Minister Volker Wissing called an act of sabotage. No one has claimed responsibility and no suspects have been identified.
The incident has raised concerns about the security of German infrastructure. Train travel has been disrupted in the past by incidents of metal and cable theft, and there have been cases of German activist groups cutting cables to disrupt trains.
The current attack, which occurred only weeks after the explosion of two gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, has raised concerns of links to Germany’s support for Ukraine.
Green politician Anton Hofreiter told FUNKE media group that the sabotage reminded him of the disruption of the Nord Stream pipelines where the “trail leads to the Kremlin”. Russia has denied any involvement in the Nord Stream explosions.
“Maybe both were warning shots because we support Ukraine,” Hofreiter added.
The state security forces are also now involved in the investigation and so far, there are no indications of terrorism or the involvement of a foreign state, Berlin State Criminal Police Office said on Sunday.
The police union sees further sabotage at Deutsche Bahn as a possibility and called for surveillance systems to be strengthened.
Rail passengers wait at the main train station in Berlin following major disruption on Germany’s railway network. Photo: AFP
“The sabotage of the rail network on Saturday clearly showed us how vulnerable Germany’s critical infrastructure is,” Rosskopf said.
There was no information about the motive for the attack and federal police are investigating the matter, Transport Minister Wissing said at a press conference on Saturday. He could not say whether the act was in any way linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine.