BERLIN, Aug 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Police said Friday they had detected two suspected acts of sabotage over the past 48 hours on a busy railway in western Germany.

The suspected arson attacks took place between the cities of Duesseldorf and Duisburg in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia.

The first was detected on Thursday, causing widespread and ongoing disruption to rail services including long-distance trains to destinations across Germany and abroad.

A far-left group calling itself the "Angry Birds Kommando" later posted a message on the leftwing news site Indymedia, claiming responsibility for the attack. It said they had acted to stop a "system of destruction" of the environment.

Police say they were looking into the authenticity of the claim.

The site of the second attack was discovered on Friday, around one kilometre away from the first. It is also suspected to have involved arson.

Several suspected acts of sabotage have taken place on Germany's railways in recent years.

In September 2023 police said they were probing what they said were politically motivated fires on pipes holding railway cables near Hamburg.

At that time an anonymous letter was published claiming responsibility. It said the "sabotage" was carried out to protest "neo-colonial exploitation and earth destroying extraction of raw materials".

In October 2022, important communications cables were cut at two sites in Berlin and in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, causing travel chaos for thousands.