Letter of admission emerges after rocket attack on substation in Brandenburg
Following the sabotage of the Turnow-Preilack substation, Brandenburg police are examining a letter of admission that has been received. According to taz, it is from a lone perpetrator who wishes to protest against fossil fuel power generation.
Police examine letter of admission following attack on Brandenburg substation
Following the attack on the Turnow-Preilack substation in Spree-Neiße district, Brandenburg police received a letter of admission. As BILD reports, the police announced on Thursday evening on X: "We have become aware of a letter of admission in connection with the attack in Turnow-Preilack (SPN). The authenticity of the letter is currently being examined."
Police initially declined to disclose how the letter reached investigators or who specifically sent it. A police spokesperson explained: "The authenticity of the letter is subject to further investigation and cannot be confirmed or denied at this time." She did not provide a timeline for investigation results.
The newspaper taz reports that the handwritten letter arrived by post at its editorial office — with a postmark from North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the report, a man was listed as the sender. The editorial team checked the address provided but found only another family member, who was able to identify the handwriting but did not know the man's current whereabouts. According to taz, the letter states: "Electricity generation from fossil fuels is a crime that causes unspeakable suffering."
More than 20 self-built rockets deployed
More than 20 self-constructed rockets had been prepared for the attack. The projectiles were intended to shoot copper wires into high-voltage power lines, deliberately triggering short circuits and electrical arcs — with the aim of possibly causing a large-scale power outage. At least two rockets reached their target; workers found minor damage to the lines.
The investigative operation at the substation was resumed on Thursday morning, with regional road 50 closed again for several hours. At midday, police reported on X that operations on site had been concluded. Officers searched surrounding high-voltage pylons for evidence of additional rockets.
Investigations on suspicion of terrorism
Police are investigating the sabotage, among other things, on suspicion of forming a terrorist association. According to police statements, there were several reports from the public regarding the attack, which are currently being evaluated.
The attack also had repercussions for the nearby Jänschwalde brown coal power plant: for safety reasons, one block had to be temporarily shut down there. Through the Turnow-Preilack substation, the power plant feeds electricity into the transmission network of operator 50Hertz.
Source: BILD