Germany: 12 explosive devices at substations – "climate extremism" in focus
Twelve improvised explosive devices were discovered near two electrical substations in Saxony. Police are investigating a possible connection to a series of attacks and a 48-year-old suspect.
Twelve explosive devices near substations in Saxony
Twelve improvised explosive devices were discovered near high-voltage lines in the area of two electrical power substations in Saxony, according to ERT. Police are examining a possible connection to a series of similar attacks that have occurred in recent days against German energy infrastructure.
The devices were discovered on Friday, following a report from a citizen, near the Baerwalde substations in the Bautzen area and Graustein, near Görlitz. Bomb disposal experts were deployed to the scene and neutralised the devices. For safety reasons, the area's electricity supply lines were temporarily taken out of service during the operation.
Authorities are investigating a "possible connection" between the new findings and the other attacks recorded this week. The targets appear to be infrastructure linked to power stations fuelled by coal-fired combustion, with the apparent aim of causing extensive power cuts.
48-year-old suspect and investigation in Hambach Forest
German police are focusing their investigation on a 48-year-old man, identified by German media as Daniel V. The man is said to have sent letters in which he claimed responsibility for these actions, whilst suspicious explosive devices were found during a search of his apartment.
On Friday, the newspaper Bild reported that an armed police special unit carried out an operation on a lorry within Hambach Forest in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which is believed to have been linked to the suspected activist. The operation, however, did not result in his arrest.
Hambach Forest is one of the most symbolic sites of the German climate movement. For years, activists staged mobilisations against the expansion of the neighbouring open-pit lignite mine, which would have entailed the destruction of significant parts of the forest.
Context: series of attacks and the most serious in Berlin
The new incidents form part of a broader series of attacks against the German electricity network in recent years. In some of these, far-left activists have publicly claimed responsibility.
The most serious recent attack occurred in January in Berlin. Tens of thousands of households and thousands of businesses were left without electricity for almost a week, during a particularly difficult winter period.
German authorities are now considering the possibility of a new cycle of attacks on critical energy infrastructure. The investigation into the 12 explosive devices discovered near the Baerwalde and Graustein substations is ongoing, whilst the possibility of "climate extremism" remains at the centre of police inquiry.
Source: ERT