Wanted photographs following sabotage at substations: Police search for 48-year-old from Gevelsberg
Cologne police have released wanted photographs of an alleged saboteur suspected of carrying out attacks on substations in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Saxony.
Police release wanted photographs following power grid sabotage
Cologne police released wanted photographs on Saturday evening, 5 September, of a suspect believed to be responsible for several acts of sabotage against Germany's electricity network. According to ksta.de, the man is 48 years old and from Gevelsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia.
"In connection with sabotage at substations in Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony, police are searching for a 48-year-old suspect from Gevelsberg," a police spokesperson explained. The man remains at large.
Investigators are appealing for information from the public: anyone who recognises the person in the photographs, can provide information about their whereabouts, or possesses relevant information to help solve the sabotage acts is urged to come forward.
Searches and evidence
On Friday, 4 September, special units of North Rhine-Westphalia police discovered and searched a truck converted into a motorhome on a car park at Hambach Forest in Düren district. Officers seized extensive evidence, including pyrotechnic material. The vehicle is currently undergoing forensic examination.
Also on Friday, officers found explosives in the suspect's flat in Gevelsberg. In the afternoon, a specialised police unit stormed a truck in a forest near Niederzier, approximately 100 kilometres away. Officers did not find the wanted man there. A large-scale operation at Hambach Forest ended without success.
Confession letters as central evidence
The search is based on two confession letters sent to several media outlets and available to the German Press Agency. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) assessed the content of the letters as clear evidence: "The knowledge revealed in these letters is unambiguous perpetrator knowledge."
Criminal police have established an investigation team to evaluate image and video material as well as witness statements. In addition, information submitted via the police's online portal is being examined.
The affected substations are located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Saxony — three federal states where brown coal is still mined and used for electricity generation. Whether there is a direct link between the incidents is still being investigated.
Source: Google News LU DE