Sabotage at Substations: Suspect from North Rhine-Westphalia Fleeing
An alleged lone perpetrator has confessed in two handwritten letters to attacks on electricity supply in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia. Police are searching for the German national born in 1977 from Gevelsberg.
Hunt for Saboteur: Confession Letters about Power Grid Attacks Found to Be Authentic
Following a series of alleged attacks on substations and power lines in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, police are searching for a German national from Gevelsberg. As Deutsche Welle reports, investigators have two handwritten confession letters, which are regarded as authentic according to assessments by the ARD Berlin studio.
In the first letter, the author states that he caused "short circuits in the power grid around the Jänschwalde and Schwarze Pumpe power plants". He cites as his motive the fight against electricity generation from fossil fuels, which he describes as a crime. He accuses the media and the state of inactivity. He also refers to the Middle East conflict and accuses Germany of supporting a "genocide in Palestine". According to his own statements, he planned and carried out the acts alone without informing anyone.
A further sheet is attached to the first letter, on which the author describes the technical implementation of the attacks. This alleged perpetrator knowledge is regarded by investigators as a significant reason for assessing that the letters are genuine. In a second letter, the man claims responsibility for attacks on the electricity supply near Gohr, Bergheim-Rheidt, Dormagen and Weisweiler in North Rhine-Westphalia. Both letters are signed with a full name, though its authenticity has not yet been definitively confirmed.
The suspect is said to be a German national born in 1977. Police already searched his place of residence in Gevelsberg on Thursday, but did not find him there. A manhunt has been initiated.
Operations in North Rhine-Westphalia and All-Clear in Lower Saxony
On Friday, numerous emergency personnel moved into the Weisweiler power plant near Aachen following leads from the confession letter. Forensic staff in protective suits and with breathing apparatus examined several locations in a field and a thicket near the power plant and a substation in Eschweiler. Police confirmed only that they were following up "leads" there. Whether any finds were made remained initially unclear.
Already on Thursday evening, another possible sabotage attempt was discovered at a substation in Dormagen. A walker found a suspicious object there, which according to police statements was some kind of firing device. Similar devices had previously been secured near Bergheim near Cologne and close to the Jänschwalde power plant in Brandenburg. These devices fired conductive material into power lines, causing short circuits.
At a substation in the Lower Saxony municipality of Ganderkesee, however, there was an all-clear: A night-time inspection revealed only an open switchgear cabinet; no damage or persons were found on the premises.
Federal Interior Ministry Sees Connection with State Elections
The Federal Interior Ministry believes it is possible that the accumulation of sabotage attempts is connected with the forthcoming state elections. A ministry spokesman stated in Berlin that there was an "expectation that this could increase". Elections are being held in Saxony-Anhalt this Sunday, and in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on 20 September.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Jan Redmann announced a new security centre to protect critical infrastructure in response to the attacks. "The indications are mounting that both attacks are part of a coordinated assault on our energy supply," Redmann said.
Siemens Energy Chief Warns of Increasing Threat
Siemens Energy chief Christian Bruch told the German Press Agency that energy infrastructure in Germany is coming under attack more heavily than in other European countries. "We must acknowledge that critical infrastructure cannot be fully protected. In my view, the threat situation has increased significantly over the past twelve to eighteen months," Bruch said. He called for the rapid development of a civilian contingency plan for crisis situations and warned: "One must accept that all of this could be signs of hybrid attacks."
BKA Records Over 165 Suspected Sabotage Cases in 2024
A confidential threat assessment from the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) is available to a research consortium consisting of Süddeutsche Zeitung, WDR and NDR. 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. This also includes reconnaissance activities without direct means of attack.
According to the Federal Interior Ministry, security authorities are in regular contact with the business community to protect critical infrastructure such as electricity and water supply as well as the health system. Existing protective measures are comprehensive, though there is a need to catch up on matters such as the detection and defence against drones.
Source: Deutsche Welle