Klaus-Peter Sabotta

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Klaus-Peter Sabotta was an extortionist who sabotaged German railways in 1998, only six months after the Eschede disaster. He claimed to represent former employees of the German railway operator Deutsche Bahn who had been made redundant, and demanded a ransom of DM10 million.

The first act of tampering, near Wilmersdorf was detected and repaired before any train passed, while a second attack on the InterCity Express line at Uchtspringe failed to derail its intended target.

The third act of sabotage, near Anklam resulted in the derailment of a freight train heading north. Had a passenger train due at the time not been half an hour late, it would have run into the wreckage of the freight train.

As he attempted to collect the ransom at a filling station in Bavaria, he was ambushed by police. On February 4, 2000 he was convicted of attempted murder and attempted extortion, and sentenced to life imprisonment.