A court in the city of Wiesbaden sentenced a man to several years in prison on Monday over a failed bid to cause a train derailment along a route frequently used by Germany's high-speed ICE trains.

The 52-year-old was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to nine years and 10 months.

Prosecutors called for 13 years in prison, while the defense team pushed for an acquittal in the case.

Reports on the sentencing did not mention the man's motive.

Tragedy averted

In March last year, the man removed several screws from high-speed rail tracks on a bridge near the town of Niedernhausen.

The tracks comprise part of the busy high-speed train route between Frankfurt and Cologne.

Some 400 trains passed over the dangerous spot for several days before two train drivers noticed the situation, likely averting tragedy.

No trains ended up coming off the tracks and no one was injured. Germany's national rail service, Deutsche Bahn, at the time described the discovery of the missing screws as "sabotage."

rs/msh (dpa, AFP)