EBERSTADT, Germany – A 59-year-old man was arrested in Germany under suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly strung wires across a mountain bike trail in the municipality of Eberstadt. According to German newspaper Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, the man is said to have done this multiple times between mid-June and early August.
Investigation of the wires showed that they could have caused serious or fatal injuries if they had made a mountain bike rider fall, but one cyclist noticed the wires before making contact and was able to avoid them and prevent further danger. An investigation lead to the suspect, and evidence was discovered in his apartment in a search on Friday, August 16.
SWR reports that German Alpine Association’s Thomas Pfäffle has noted conflict between hunters, hikers, and mountain bikers in the area, but nothing quite like this. Fortunately, he believes it was an isolated incident.
“I think it was a lone perpetrator who started an action without thinking. I don’t assume that every hiker will suddenly be walking around the forest armed with some kind of barbed wire fence.” – Thomas Pfäffle
Booby traps on bike trails aren’t unheard of. Earlier this year, bike trails in Spokane, Washington, were hit with grease, spikes, and multiple threatening signs, and in 2020, a 54-year-old plead guilty to placing a hazardous and injurious device on federal land after placing a booby trap on a Montana trail.