Sabotage on power grids: incidents in Dormagen, Aachen and Ganderkesee
A suspicious launching device was discovered at a transformer station near Dormagen. Police operations in Weisweiler and Ganderkesee followed.
New alleged sabotage attempt at transformer station near Dormagen
At a transformer station in the vicinity of Dormagen – a city between Düsseldorf and Cologne – another alleged sabotage attempt on energy supply has been discovered, according to Tagesschau. A passer-by found a suspicious object at the facility, which appears to be a kind of launching device.
Police believe that it was an attempt to "deliberately cause a short circuit", according to a spokesperson. The aim was apparently to "cause damage". However, no damage to the infrastructure occurred in Dormagen. Investigations are still ongoing.
Similar devices have already been used at transformer stations in Bergheim near Cologne and near the Jänschwalde power plant in Brandenburg. There, conductive material had been fired into cables, triggering short circuits.
Police search site near Weisweiler
Following the incident in Dormagen, police also deployed to Weisweiler near Aachen. They were investigating "leads" there, said a police spokesperson, without providing details. The background involves two letters of responsibility in which a man claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on the power grid in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia and named Weisweiler as another crime scene.
Police subsequently reinforced their forces in the vicinity of the Weisweiler power plant, as news agency dpa reported. Forensic officers were deployed in protective suits and with respiratory protection. According to a dpa reporter, investigators focused on several locations in a field and in a bush in immediate proximity to the power plant and a transformer station in the town of Eschweiler. What the officers may have found there, the authorities have not yet disclosed.
Open switchboard in Ganderkesee triggers major operation
Police also deployed in Ganderkesee in Lower Saxony in the Oldenburg district. A patrol discovered an open switchboard at a transformer station during the night leading into Friday at around 3 a.m. and alerted additional forces, a police spokesperson said.
Due to the particular significance of the facility, the site was comprehensively checked. Police were on site with a helicopter and service dogs, and the Technical Relief Organisation provided support and illuminated the site. No suspicious person was found, and no damage was detected. Why the switchboard was open remains unclear.
The spokesperson stated that there had been no danger to the public. Such incidents in the area of sensitive infrastructure would generally be taken very seriously and carefully examined – also with regard to whether there was a connection to a criminal offence.
The incidents in Dormagen, Weisweiler and Ganderkesee are part of a series of alleged attacks on German energy infrastructure and have triggered a debate about the protection of critical facilities.
Source: Tagesschau