Coordinated sabotage on the Dutch railway network

In the hands of Dutch investigators this Tuesday, September 15, several metal tubes that they have just picked up on the railway tracks in Veenendaal, in the Netherlands. Most were deliberately tied along the rails this morning. On another train line, in Meppel, in a white bag, several clip-on battery cables had been laid along the tracks. The Dutch authorities speak of coordinated acts of sabotage.

On a map, we can see the places where trains had to brake urgently because of unidentified objects. One of them hit one of the metal tubes without causing any injuries. "This could be intentional. Damaged tubes had been removed by railway personnel and were put back on the rails by the saboteurs," said Joke van der Cruysen, spokesperson for ProRail.

“The police are working hard”, assures the Dutch Prime Minister

Since this morning, train traffic has been almost paralyzed. Passengers wait in vain, and some roads and level crossings are blocked. A police investigation is underway, and it is currently unknown who those responsible are and their motivations. Terrorism or the action of angry farmers who today were violently protesting against budget cuts? Demonstrators deny any responsibility, and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, condemns outright. “These acts present security risks. Therefore, the police are working hard to find out who the perpetrators are, who are the sponsors and what their motivations are,” said the head of the Dutch government.

This evening, rail traffic is still very disrupted. Until then, the Netherlands had been spared acts of sabotage in Europe.