Firebomb attack on Berlin central station averted

Seven bottles filled with flammable liquid were bundled together, linked to a fuse and placed 100 yards from the platforms.

Similar devices were used in a second arson attack earlier just west of Berlin along a high-speed link to Hamburg. The blast in a service shaft temporarily halted traffic.

Tabloid Bild said a leftist group calling itself “Hekla Reception Committee – Initiative for more Eruptions in Society” – an apparent reference to Iceland’s Hekla volcano – claimed responsibility, saying it was a protest against Germany’s military engagement in Afghanistan.