Clandestine weapons cache near Berlin linked to Russian intelligence: suspect arrested in Romania
German authorities are investigating a secret weapons cache discovered in woodland near Berlin, suspected of being linked to Russian intelligence services. A man has been arrested in Romania, and Germany is discussing his possible extradition.
Suspect detained in Romania following discovery of secret arsenal near Berlin
According to Google News RO — Crime (ro), German authorities are investigating a secret weapons cache discovered in late summer last year in a wooded area on the border between Berlin and Brandenburg, suspecting it belonged to Russian intelligence services and was intended for possible attacks on German territory. A suspect has been arrested in Romania, and Berlin and Bucharest are discussing a possible extradition.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that the suspect was also allegedly involved in planning bomb-package attacks in Romania. The official described him as a "lower-ranking agent", whom he believed would not have known the people leading the operation. Dobrindt did not disclose the nationality of the man detained on Romanian territory.
Romania's Ministry of Justice has not yet provided a position on a possible extradition. Germany and Romania are to determine what measures will be taken in this case during the investigation.
Two pistols with GPS, a "dead" cache
The discovery was made after authorities received information about the exact location from a source considered credible, with agents going directly to the target. Two functional pistols and ammunition were found in the carefully prepared cache.
After discovery, experts installed GPS tracking devices on the two pistols and rendered them inoperable, according to officials cited by the German press. The cache remained intact, and agents monitored it from a distance using technical means, hoping to identify people who came to retrieve the weapons.
The wait yielded no results: nobody came forward to collect the pistols. Sources within the investigation now consider the depot to be "dead" — most likely, those who set it up learned of the authorities' intervention and abandoned the site.
BfV: weapons intended for Moscow's "kinetic operations"
More than a year after the incident, the investigation has led to a conclusion that German authorities are treating with maximum seriousness. According to information published by Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) believes the weapons were part of a clandestine Russian intelligence cache and were intended to reach agents tasked by Moscow to carry out in Germany what the services call "kinetic operations" — attacks and assassinations.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office is investigating the case on suspicion of preparation for a serious act of violence that would represent a threat to the state.
BfV declined to provide details about the case. The institution's spokesperson stated that the authority does not, in principle, make statements about "matters concerning possible concrete activities of intelligence services". The Russian Embassy also did not respond to a request for comment.
Context: Russian services warn of more aggressive operations in Europe
The investigation takes place in a context in which German services have been warning for several months about the intensification of Russian operations in Europe. BfV President Sinan Selen warned at a restricted meeting in Berlin that Russian services have changed their approach and could move towards more aggressive operations, including targeted attacks on German territory.
Possible targets would include managers from the defence industry, members of the Russian opposition in exile, and people supporting Ukraine.
Moscow has consistently rejected all accusations regarding its involvement in sabotage and espionage acts in countries supporting Ukraine, labelling them as manifestations of Western paranoia. However, the most recent statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following the incident in which a drone allegedly targeted a Ukrainian cargo transport aircraft at Leipzig, are giving authorities pause for thought.
"We will significantly harden our methods to destroy everything that Kiev's war machine receives from the West. And we are already doing this," Lavrov stated.
The statement does not prove a link between Russia and the cache discovered near Berlin, but German authorities are analysing the case in a context in which security concerns are growing.
The idea of hiding weapons and equipment in clandestine caches represents a classic method used by Russian services, employed by the Soviet Union since the Cold War period, including in Europe.
Source: Google News RO — Crime (ro)