Sabotage at electricity substations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg: six launch devices found
After an attack on a substation in Bergheim near Cologne, investigators discovered six launch devices. A similar attack was also carried out in Brandenburg.
Attack on power grid: investigators find launch devices in Bergheim
Following the attack on the substation in Bergheim near Cologne, investigators discovered six launch devices in a field, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. These devices were constructed in such a way that they could hurl a wire over power lines using pyrotechnic objects, explained leading criminal director Michael Esser.
Cologne's public prosecutor's office is treating the incident as an attack and is investigating suspicions of constitutionally hostile sabotage. North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) spoke on Wednesday of a deliberate crime: "This was not a faulty switch, this was intentional, this was a crime." Unknown perpetrators had placed cables over the overhead lines, thereby causing a short circuit. "Whoever does that attacks our country," Reul said.
According to Reul, the investigations are proceeding "in two directions — foreign-state-directed sabotage and left-wing extremism". Both could not currently be ruled out. The short circuit on Tuesday evening affected several lines. Energy company RWE and grid operator Amprion confirmed that an incident had occurred in the vicinity of an Amprion substation facility. Several power plant units were temporarily shut down. According to police, however, power outages in private households did not occur.
Parallel attack in Brandenburg
Hours before the incident in Bergheim, a similar attack on a substation had also occurred in Brandenburg. Police there are investigating, among other things, the formation of a terrorist association as well as suspicions of disruption to public utilities, causing an explosive device to detonate, and destruction of important work equipment.
Unknown perpetrators had attempted to cause short circuits near the Jänschwalde coal power plant and the Preilack substation. According to Interior Minister Jan Redmann (CDU), the perpetrators introduced "conductive material" into high-voltage power lines, which in two cases led to short circuits. According to grid operator 50Hertz, home-made aerial devices were used that resembled New Year's Eve fireworks. The Bild newspaper reported more than 20 such home-made rockets, possibly with time fuses.
A spokesman for 50Hertz explained that one of the short circuits affected a line between Preilack substation and Jänschwalde power plant and led to the technical failure of a power plant unit. A second short circuit affected a line to another substation — there, following automatic re-closure, power was quickly restored.
Perpetrators acted with advance planning
Redmann emphasised that the manner of execution differed from previous attacks on the power supply which had been attributed to the left-wing extremist scene. No statement of responsibility had been issued so far. There was also "no indication that a foreign power was behind it and had acted using intelligence service means".
The crime was apparently planned well in advance: "We must currently assume that the perpetrators had already been present at the site several days beforehand and installed the corresponding systems," said Redmann. Construction and installation of the devices required considerable "technical expertise".
Possible connection under investigation
Both Reul and Redmann pointed to striking parallels between the incidents in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg: the temporal connection, the high-voltage power lines affected, and photographs showing similar electrical arcs in both federal states. Criminal director Esser also confirmed that there were comparable evidence in both cases — including apparently pyrotechnic objects.
Since the devices may have been placed in the field undetected some time earlier, investigators appealed to the public to report any information. Search teams were combing through the area square metre by square metre in order to secure further evidence.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung