Three arson incidents on German railways within two days are suspected of being vandalism

German authorities said that after the railway cables of two metro lines in the west were set on fire, causing hundreds of trains to be suspended, another fire broke out. The initial investigation shows that it was also caused by human error.

Agence France-Presse reported that Deutsche Bahn said on Saturday (August 2) that the latest reported fire broke out in Hornmersen, Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany, a day earlier. In a statement, Deutsche Bahn said, "Preliminary investigation results show that this cable fire was also a criminal arson incident."

The previous two fires broke out on Thursday and Friday respectively between the western cities of Dusseldorf and Duisburg, with the fire points about one kilometer apart, both causing damage to railway cables.

It is reported that the line involved by Hornmerson is mainly used for freight transportation, especially for transporting coal. In contrast, the western regions were more widely affected. The first fire broke out at a turnout intersection in Dusseldorf, spreading to an important trunk line connecting the Ruhr industrial area with Northern Europe and Switzerland.

The Deutsche Bahn company said that the fire caused "hundreds of trains" to be cancelled or rerouted, and tens of thousands of passengers' travel was blocked.

At present, the relevant lines have been repaired. A total of five sections of cables have been replaced, each approximately 20 meters long.

A far-left group calling itself the "Angry Birds Commando" claimed responsibility for the first arson incident, stating that the move was to prevent the "system that damages the environment" from continuing to operate.