Germany’s railway system suffered days of severe disruption after fires deliberately set along key infrastructure shut down operations across western Germany. A post-left anarchist group calling itself “Kommando Angry Birds” claimed responsibility, citing their desire to dismantle the modern industrial economy.
The sabotage took place Thursday and Friday on the high-speed “Ruhr Axis” rail corridor, a vital route connecting Düsseldorf, Duisburg, and other major cities. Fires were set in cable troughs running alongside the mainline, crippling the rail signaling and safety systems. Deutsche Bahn reported the damage as significant, with over 60 meters of cables destroyed and repairs stretching into the weekend.
National and international train services, including high-speed connections to Berlin, Frankfurt, and the Netherlands, were brought to a halt. Tens of thousands of passengers and freight shipments were affected.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul confirmed the acts were deliberate and pointed to far-left extremists as the culprits. “It was left-wing extremists who are trying to bomb us back to pre-industrial times,” Reul stated at a press conference.
A message claiming responsibility was posted on the far-left platform Indymedia by the group “Kommando Angry Birds.” The group declared the Rhine-Alpine Corridor, which connects major European economic centers, as a legitimate target in their effort to disrupt the “system of destruction.” They openly advocate for dismantling all elements of industrial society, including railroads, power grids, and communications networks.
Their screeds dismiss eco-friendly solutions like renewable energy and green consumerism as “pseudo-solutions,” instead calling for complete annihilation of the technological-industrial system. They see rail travel, despite its efficiency, as part of a corrupt modern infrastructure sustained by resource extraction, land use, and wartime logistics.
The group has previously claimed responsibility for burning radio towers, sabotaging internet infrastructure, and cutting power to entire cities across Europe. Their attacks often coincide with left-wing political events or court rulings. In similar past incidents, French cities lost internet access, data centers were targeted, and a German general warned these attacks aim to undermine public confidence rather than wage traditional warfare.
Despite years of attacks on infrastructure by far-left radicals, most legacy media outlets continue to downplay or ignore these acts. Yet they remain a growing threat to Western societies dependent on complex but vulnerable systems.
