Two Copper Thieves Arrested for Sabotage that Halted Madrid-Seville AVE on May 4th

Two individuals have been arrested by the Civil Guard as suspected perpetrators of the theft of electrical cabling across five sections of the Madrid-Seville high-speed rail line, passing through the province of Toledo, on May 4th. The sabotage caused delays and cancellations for 21 trains, impacting approximately 6,300 passengers, with damages estimated at 25,000 euros.

The detainees, who have previous records for similar offences, resided in the Toledo towns of Orgaz and Sonseca. During the searches, large tools, night vision devices, stolen cabling, and narcotics were seized. The theft was executed using an uncommon method requiring technical expertise to avoid electric shocks, complicating the investigation, which was ultimately resolved with the support of specialised units and drones from the Air Service.