Sabotage at substations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg: police launch nationwide manhunt for suspect
Following sabotage attempts at several substations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg, police are conducting a nationwide manhunt for a man. A letter claiming responsibility has been received.
Major police operation following sabotage series at energy facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia
Police are conducting a nationwide manhunt for a suspect who, according to a letter claiming responsibility, is believed to be behind a series of sabotage acts at substations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg. As reported by WELT, a police spokesman confirmed to news agency AFP: "We have received a letter claiming responsibility, and we are following up on the leads."
The letter was sent by post to the newspaper "taz". According to the publication, the sender presents himself as a lone perpetrator, citing "immeasurable suffering" caused by the use of fossil fuels as his motive and describing in detail the homemade rockets he used. Several media outlets reported that the fight against fossil fuels is named in the letter as the motive for the act. Police did not comment on this.
Suspect from Ennepe-Ruhr district
According to information from "Bild", the wanted man is believed to be a man named Daniel V. from Gevelsberg in the Ennepe-Ruhr district. Whether he is actually considered a suspect or merely appeared as a copycat is still being examined, a police spokesman emphasised. However, investigators are taking the leads from the letter very seriously.
Major operation in Weisweiler near Aachen
Since Friday morning, an extensive police operation has been underway near Weisweiler power station near Aachen. Because the location was explicitly mentioned in the letter claiming responsibility as a further attack target, police deployed to the substation there. Forces were brought together in the vicinity of the power station and a substation in the neighbouring city of Eschweiler.
Forensic officers were deployed in protective suits and with breathing apparatus. They concentrated on several locations in a field as well as in undergrowth in the immediate vicinity of the power station. Officers documented the areas photographically, as a dpa reporter on the scene reported. Whether suspicious objects were found remained unclear initially.
Launch devices discovered in Dormagen
On Thursday evening, a passer-by discovered suspected launch devices at a substation in Dormagen — between Düsseldorf and Cologne — and alerted the authorities. Police assess the find as an attempted sabotage act on the energy supply. However, no damage to critical infrastructure occurred in Dormagen.
According to police, the constructions found are very similar to devices with which unknown perpetrators had previously shot cables over overhead lines in Bergheim, west of Cologne, thereby disabling several power station units. According to "Bild", time switches and copper wires were attached to the launch devices.
Further incidents in Brandenburg and Lower Saxony
The incidents are part of a series of similar attacks. Power lines were attacked in Jänschwalde in Brandenburg. In Ganderkesee near Oldenburg, emergency services also examined a substation — there, however, the all-clear was given: an open switchgear cabinet had merely been discovered during the night. No damage or persons on the premises were found.
The "taz" pointed out, according to its own statements, that it cannot be conclusively established whether the author of the letter claiming responsibility is also the actual perpetrator. The act in Bergheim is moreover not mentioned in the letter. According to police, the investigation in Dormagen is still in its very early stages.
Source: WELT