Sabotage at transformer stations: police search for German man from Gevelsberg
Following attacks on power grids in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, police are searching for a man born in 1977 from Gevelsberg. Two handwritten confessional letters are considered authentic.
Confessional letter with perpetrator knowledge: manhunt for suspected saboteur
Following several suspected attacks on transformer stations in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, police are searching for a man who has claimed responsibility for the acts in two handwritten letters. According to Deutsche Welle, investigators from the ARD capital studio consider both letters authentic — among other reasons because of detailed descriptions of the technical methodology.
In his first letter, the author identifies himself as the person who "caused short circuits in the electricity grid around the Jänschwalde and Schwarze Pumpe power plants." He cites as motives his fight against fossil fuel power generation, which he classifies as a crime, as well as Germany's role in the Middle East conflict. He accuses the Federal Republic of supporting a "genocide in Palestine" and states that he planned and carried out the acts alone.
Attached to the first letter was a further page on which the author describes the technical execution of the attacks. According to the ARD capital studio, the level of detail contained therein is a key reason why investigators believe the documents are genuine.
Further attacks in North Rhine-Westphalia
In a second letter, the man also claims responsibility for attacks on the power supply near Gohr, Bergheim-Rheidt, Dormagen and Weisweiler in North Rhine-Westphalia. Both letters are signed with a full name — whether this actually belongs to the author is, according to the information provided, not yet definitively established.
The suspected perpetrator is believed to be a German national born in 1977 from Gevelsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia. Police already searched his residence on Thursday but did not find him there. He has been wanted since then.
Operations in Weisweiler and Dormagen
On Friday, following the information from the confessional letter, numerous police officers deployed to the Weisweiler power station near Aachen. Forensic staff in protective suits and breathing apparatus examined several locations in a field and in a bush in immediate proximity to the power station and a transformer station in Eschweiler. Police confirmed only that they were following "leads" there; results were not initially disclosed.
Already on Thursday evening, a jogger discovered a suspicious object at a transformer station in Dormagen. According to police, it appears to be a kind of launch device — similar devices had previously been found in Bergheim near Cologne and near the Jänschwalde power plant in Brandenburg. These devices were used to shoot conductive material into power lines in order to trigger short circuits.
By contrast, no danger resulted from an operation in Lower Saxony's Ganderkesee: there, police merely found an open switchgear cabinet at night; neither damage nor persons were discovered on the premises.
Federal Interior Ministry: possible connection to state elections
The Federal Interior Ministry considers a possible connection between the sabotage series and the forthcoming state elections. In the run-up to elections, there is an "expectation that this could increase," a ministry spokesman said in Berlin. Elections are being held in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, with Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern following on 20 September.
In response to the attacks, Brandenburg's Interior Minister Jan Redmann announced a new security centre to protect critical infrastructure. "The signs are mounting that both attacks are part of a coordinated assault on our energy supply," Redmann said.
Siemens Energy chief: threat level has risen significantly
Siemens Energy chief Christian Bruch told the German Press Agency that Germany's energy infrastructure is coming under heavier attack than in other European countries. "We must acknowledge that critical infrastructure cannot be fully protected. In my view, the threat level has increased significantly over the past twelve to eighteen months," Bruch said. He called for rapid development of a civil operations plan for emergencies and pointed to possible hybrid attacks.
More than 165 suspected sabotage cases this year
A research consortium comprising Süddeutsche Zeitung, WDR and NDR has access to a confidential situation report from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). According to this, the authorities have registered more than 165 suspected sabotage cases in Germany for the current year — as of the end of August — including espionage matters.
Source: Deutsche Welle