Berlin security services investigate possible political motives for railway sabotage

BERLIN, Oct. 9 (DPA/EP) -

The Berlin security services, responsible, among other issues, for politically motivated crimes, have taken on the investigation of the sabotage that occurred this past Saturday on the railway lines in the north of the country.

The train operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) reported then that the intentional cut of its communication cables in two places, which caused a temporary stoppage of all lines. Specifically, the fiber optic cables of the Berlin district of Hohenschönhausen and the city of Herne, in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, were simultaneously damaged.

A police spokeswoman has clarified however that it is still not clear if the damage to the lines was politically motivated, and that the agents are investigating all possibilities.

The rail operator's reservation system also failed as a result of the damage, with all long-distance and some regional trains suspended, leaving countless commuters stranded at stations.

"Cables that are essential for train traffic were deliberately and intentionally cut," said German Transport Minister Volker Wissing.

In this context, a representative of the Police union has requested this Sunday that the surveillance system be expanded.

"In the case of railways, this type of sabotage is always possible because the cable lines are often also on open tracks and these are not fully guarded," said Andreas Rosskopf, head of the union's Federal Police and Customs division. , to the media network RND.

"Therefore, we need modern surveillance structures on the railway, i.e. drones and sensor technology in the cable shafts, as well as a reinforcement of the railway's own security personnel," Rosskopf explained.

Regarding Saturday's sabotage, he added that "due to the structured planning, it can be assumed that these are possibly terrorist-type operations by the perpetrators."