In the early morning of 8 October 2022, two fibre optic cables which are necessary for the GSM-R communication system of Deutsche Bahn were deliberately damaged.
One crime scene was in the north-east of Berlin, the other 550 km (340 mi) away in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia.
[5] The German Transport Minister Volker Wissing also said that essential cables "were deliberately and intentionally severed".
The German main police union sees further sabotage at Deutsche Bahn as a possibility and called for surveillance systems to be strengthened.
Green politician Anton Hofreiter told FUNKE media group that the sabotage reminded him of the disruption of the Nord Stream pipelines where the "trail leads to the Kremlin".