German police said they are probing a possible 'political motive' after train cables were cut, with the country on high alert for sabotage from Russia.
Authorities revealed Monday that the cables between Cologne and Dusseldorf had been cut: 'We discovered at around 01:15am that several cables had been cut in a cable shaft in the Rheindorf area of Leverkusen,' a Cologne police spokesman said.
There was considerable disruption to services in the region, Cologne police added, saying that 'a political motive cannot be excluded at this time'.
The incident occurred in the densely populated part of western Germany and caused chaos for commuters in the region on Monday morning.
Officers specialised in politically motivated crime are investigating and 'preliminary leads have been identified', police said.
