German authorities suspect sabotage in railway fire

German authorities suspect sabotage after a fire on a major railway line disrupted services in western Germany, security sources said on Saturday.

The sources said it was unlikely that a technical fault caused the blaze, which broke out beside the tracks on the busy route between the cities of Dusseldorf and Cologne on Friday morning.

The embankment between Langenfeld and Leverkusen caught fire in two places, according to national operator Deutsche Bahn. The fire brigade extinguished the blaze, but several signalling cables were damaged, halting operations on that section of the line.

A short while after the security sources' statement, a letter claiming responsibility appeared on the left-wing platform Indymedia from a known group called the Angry Birds Commando. In the letter, the group said incendiary devices were placed in a cable duct.

Security sources told dpa they believe the letter to be genuine. The left-wing extremist group previously claimed responsibility for an attack on the main railway line between Dusseldorf and Duisburg around a year ago.

Cologne police's state security unit took over the investigation on Friday. A police spokesman said investigators were examining whether a criminal offence had been committed and whether the fire had been started deliberately.

Rail services remained disrupted on Saturday, with diversions, delays and cancellations affecting local and long-distance services. A Deutsche Bahn spokesman told dpa that repair work is set to continue at least until Saturday afternoon.

"Our experts are working to repair the damage as quickly as possible," he said.