Sabotage of electrical infrastructure in Germany: two substations targeted within 24 hours
Two electrical substations were attacked on Tuesday in Germany. Investigators are exploring the possibility of a foreign state plot or a far-left extremist act.
Two attacks in one day against the German electrical network
Two electrical substations were targeted within a 24-hour period on German territory, reports France 24 - France. Authorities announced on Wednesday 2 September the opening of investigations into these incidents that occurred the previous day, forming part of a series of repeated attacks against the country's critical infrastructure.
The first incident occurred early Tuesday morning at Preilack, near Jänschwalde, approximately 150 kilometres from Berlin, in the state of Brandenburg. Several homemade explosive devices were discovered at the electrical substation, a site that distributes electricity produced by a coal-fired power station. At least one of them exploded; the others failed to detonate. The state police opened an anti-terrorism investigation, notably for "formation of a terrorist organisation", as well as on suspicion of disruption to public services and destruction of essential equipment.
The second incident occurred at Bergheim, in the western part of the country, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Unknown perpetrators deliberately triggered a short circuit at a substation operated by Amprion by attacking overhead cables. The regional interior minister, Herbert Reul, described the acts as a "criminal act" at a press conference in Düsseldorf: "It was not a faulty switch, it was intentional." He referred to "an initial suspicion of sabotage directed against the constitutional order".
Neither of the attacks caused large-scale power outages, although the operation of nearby power stations was disrupted. No claim of responsibility has been recorded.
Investigators are examining two lines of enquiry simultaneously: "sabotage orchestrated by a foreign state" and an act by a "far-left extremist", Herbert Reul specified. The authorities are also seeking to establish whether a connection exists between the two incidents, which occurred on the same day in different regions of the country.
Germany has been facing repeated attacks against its energy infrastructure for several months. A major supporter of Ukraine in the face of Russian invasion, the country is also targeted by sabotage plots that it attributes to Russia, which the Kremlin denies. Moreover, far-left activists have claimed responsibility for several fires at electrical installations in the Berlin region. On 3 January, the group "Vulkangruppe" plunged more than 100,000 people into darkness following arson at an electrical installation. This same group also claimed responsibility, in March 2024, for an attack on a Tesla factory near Berlin, targeting the electrical lines supplying the site. In total, the group has claimed around a dozen actions since 2011. The authorities have never identified its members or accomplices.
"An electrical substation is a nerve centre of our daily life", Herbert Reul stated. Whoever targets such a site "is attacking our country, our economy, our way of life, all of us", he added.
Source: France 24 - France