Extensive forest search outside Cologne following suspected sabotage of power grid
German police are searching for a 48-year-old climate activist in Hambach Forest outside Cologne, suspected of sabotaging the country's electricity supply. Explosives were found during a search of the man's home.
Climate activist hunted in Hambach Forest after power grid sabotage
A large-scale police search is under way in Hambach Forest outside Cologne in western Germany, reports Sydsvenskan. The target is a 48-year-old climate activist suspected of sabotaging the German power grid on repeated occasions.
Police have made public the man's photograph and first name. According to reports, he himself sent a letter to the authorities in which he took responsibility for several attacks on the electricity supply – with opposition to fossil fuels as the stated motive, according to the newspaper Bild.
The sabotage attempts have occurred at various locations in Germany and have connections to major coal-fired power plants. On Friday, police carried out a search of the man's home in a small town in the region and found explosives.
The suspect is believed to be in Hambach Forest, which has long been a contentious location in the conflict between climate activists and the coal industry.
Source: Sydsvenskan