Herbert The Saw Is A `No Show' On Deadline Day

BERLIN - "Herbert the Saw" failed to cut train service in Germany yesterday, but police say they are still on their guard.

Herbert, the alias of a saw-wielding extortionist who wants $2.5 million or threatens to derail trains by cutting out sections of track, set yesterday as the deadline for the German railways to agree to his terms.

While the railway said it is ready to pay, police refuse to accept Herbert's plan for handing over the money, which would involve throwing a suitcase containing money out of a train window. During an earlier attempt to give Herbert the money, the suitcase hit an oncoming train and sent more than $1 million in Deutschemark bills wafting through the countryside.

"Our position remains the same. We give him the money but will not throw it out of speeding trains. He has to make the next move," said Hamburg police investigator Dankmar Lund, who heads a special police task force.

The railway and police reported no derailments or explosions.

Lund said Herbert might not strike for days or weeks. He began his campaign in the fall of 1990 and every few months has derailed a freight train to prove his ability to cut out sections of rail.