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Police officers on platform 1 of Wuppertal Central Station on Saturday
Photo: Gianni Gattus / dpa
It was the regional express from Dortmund to Aachen that had a momentous mix-up on platform 1 in Wuppertal Central Station around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. At first, as train attendants later say, it was announced that the train could not continue due to a disruption. Not unusual in rail traffic, but this disruption was serious: a train passenger thought he recognized the left-wing terrorist Ernst-Volker Staub, who went into hiding in 1991. He and other so-called RAF pensioners are accused of, among other things, attempted murder and various bank robberies; the responsible investigative authorities recently launched a public manhunt for the third time.
After the train stopped, a police spokesman said later at Wuppertal main station, special forces arrived. All train traffic was stopped and the station area was cordoned off. According to eyewitnesses, heavily armed police officers first barricaded themselves behind a wall at the bus station directly opposite before attacking. The alleged left-wing terrorist and a woman accompanying him were then arrested without resistance.
A rumor quickly spread that a former RAF terrorist had been arrested in Wuppertal. Media reported this as fact. In fact, Wuppertal police later said in a press release, the man from the train only bore a “resemblance to the person they were looking for,” Ernst-Volker Staub. However, the initial suspicions about the man's identity were not confirmed. “He and his companion were released immediately after police measures were taken,” the police report continues. Wuppertal Central Station was reopened around 6:30 p.m.
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