Key facts
- German police are investigating a suspected explosive object found on rail tracks in Treuchtlingen, southern Germany.
- The object is being analyzed by experts using X-ray images.
- The area has been cordoned off, and the public is urged to stay clear.
- This incident follows a recent attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport.
- Previous incidents include an explosion on the Hamburg-Berlin high-speed line and a device found near Berlin's main station, with responsibility claimed by the Hekla Reception Committee.
- Two arson attacks on a key railway line in Düsseldorf have also occurred, with the 'Angry Birds Commando' claiming responsibility for one.
German police are investigating a potentially explosive object discovered on rail tracks in Treuchtlingen, southern Germany. Experts are currently analyzing X-ray images of the item, and the area has been cordoned off. Authorities have been on high alert following a recent attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport, where an explosive-laden drone was found near a runway.
This latest incident adds to a series of security concerns on Germany's rail network. Previously, a device exploded on the high-speed line between Hamburg and Berlin, causing significant disruption, though no casualties were reported. Another device, consisting of seven bottles filled with flammable liquid and linked to a fuse, was found and dismantled before it could detonate at the mouth of a tunnel leading to Berlin's main station. The leftist Hekla Reception Committee claimed responsibility for these devices, protesting the presence of German troops in Afghanistan.
In a separate but related series of events, a key railway line in Düsseldorf has been targeted by two arson attacks in as many days. The incendiary devices used were reportedly of the same type. The "Angry Birds Commando," a group known to authorities for previous sabotage acts in the Düsseldorf area, claimed responsibility for the first attack, with the interior minister for North Rhine-Westphalia characterizing the group as left-wing extremists aiming to revert to pre-industrial times. While no group has claimed responsibility for the second attack, the statement from Thursday mentioned "several attacks" in the region. These attacks have caused widespread disruptions on the busy Düsseldorf-Duisburg route, affecting services as far as Berlin and Frankfurt, and into the Netherlands, with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn warning of delays extending into the weekend.