Left-wing extremists claim responsibility for railway fire near Düsseldorf
A left-wing radical group has claimed responsibility for a fire on a railway line between Düsseldorf and Cologne. The line remains closed.
Left-wing extremists claim responsibility for railway fire near Düsseldorf
An arson attack on a railway connection in western Germany has prompted investigations by the authorities. The line between Düsseldorf and Cologne has been blocked since Friday. The competent authorities are currently investigating a possible act of sabotage, as news agency DPA reported on Saturday. A group from the left-wing extremist spectrum calling itself Kommando Angry Birds has claimed responsibility for the act. When train services can resume is unclear – Deutsche Bahn has spoken of considerable damage. The report was published by ČT24.
The flames broke out near Leverkusen. Initially it was reported that a railway embankment had caught fire. However, more recent information indicates that cables in a shaft system adjacent to the tracks were destroyed.
The left-wing extremist group in question subsequently published a statement claiming responsibility. In it, they specified that they had placed incendiary devices at cable distribution points. As their motive, they cited the desire to stop the "mass death" resulting from a "technological escalation".
Security authorities assessed the statement to be genuine according to DPA. They also considered it unlikely that a technical defect caused the fire.
According to DPA, Kommando Angry Birds had previously claimed responsibility for arson attacks. In July 2025, suspected members of the group blocked an important connection between Düsseldorf and Duisburg for several days. In January of this year, the group claimed responsibility for a failed attack on a transformer station in Erkrath near Düsseldorf.
The group is also attributed with further fires in the region around Düsseldorf, including at telecommunications towers and in a tunnel of the A46 motorway.
Source: ČT24