After the momentous train sabotage at the weekend, the federal prosecutor's office took over the investigation. Because of possible anti-constitutional sabotage, the authority in Karlsruhe initiated proceedings against unknown persons on Thursday, said a spokesman. The Federal Criminal Police Office should take over the investigation. The "Spiegel" and the news portal "The Pioneer" had previously reported about it.

The spokesman for the federal prosecutor initially did not give any background to the investigation. Germany's supreme prosecuting authority can take responsibility for acts of overriding importance.

On Saturday morning, essential cables for the train radio system in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia were damaged. Rail traffic in large parts of northern Germany then stood still for hours. Many travelers were stranded at train stations. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and the railways themselves spoke as a result of sabotage. According to estimates from security circles, the procedure requires insider knowledge about the railway.

The police in North Rhine-Westphalia announced on Monday that several cables had been severed in the area of ​​Herne station on the track systems. The state security in Bochum assumed a "politically motivated act". In Berlin, between the Gehrenseestraße and Hohenschönhausen S-Bahn stations, cable cables were damaged, the police said on Wednesday and were looking for witnesses.

From Deutsche Bahn's point of view, the group's emergency concepts "worked optimally". Radio traffic was restored after three hours, and the trains were able to run again on Saturday morning. However, the effects in the form of delays and cancellations were felt throughout the long-distance network for much longer.