Power network sabotage in Germany: 48-year-old climate activist on the run
A fugitive climate activist is suspected of sabotaging several electrical installations in western Germany. Claim letters and suspicious substances were found at his home.
Climate activist suspected of sabotage attacks on German power network
A 48-year-old man, identified by German media as Daniel V., is being actively sought by German police for a series of sabotage attacks targeting electrical network installations in western Germany, according to France 24 - France. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the suspect as a climate "extremist" on Friday, 4 September.
Originally from a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia — the region where most of the alleged attacks have been concentrated since the beginning of the week — the suspect sent two claim letters to law enforcement and the media. These letters, deemed authentic by the authorities, were confirmed by Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of the state, at a joint press conference in Düsseldorf.
Suspicious substances and explosive objects at home
During a search of the suspect's residence in the same region, police found "suspicious substances or objects suspected of being explosives," Herbert Reul stated. These items are currently under examination.
The van used by the suspect to flee was moreover found on Friday afternoon, according to newspaper Bild, at a site in the region known to have hosted a former "zone to be defended" (ZAD) environmental protest area — the thousand-year-old Hambach forest, a symbol for years of tensions around open-pit lignite mining in Germany.
"The fight against fossil fuels" as the claimed motive
In his letters, the suspect justified his actions by "the fight against fossil fuels". Herbert Reul cited an extract: "I am not attacking the country, but the fossil raw materials industry, even if, for certain political leaders, it is the same thing."
The regional minister also noted that the author of the letters "indicated his address and name", a gesture described as "highly unusual". The letters also mention other potential targets, including an electrical substation in Dormagen, also in North Rhine-Westphalia, where suspicious objects were discovered Thursday evening near a transformer station.
Two investigative leads, including one state-related
The investigation, opened for "sabotage directed against the constitutional order", is following two lines of inquiry, Herbert Reul indicated: "a possible motive of left-wing extremism and sabotage possibly orchestrated by a foreign state." Alexander Dobrindt, the conservative minister, for his part stated: "At this stage, one must assume that this is climate extremism."
The claim letter also references the first incident that occurred on Tuesday in Brandenburg, in the east of the country, geographically distant from the other alleged attacks — which leaves open the question of possible accomplices.
A context of heightened vigilance over critical infrastructure
This series of attacks comes within a climate of persistent tension surrounding German energy infrastructure. On 3 January, arson claimed by the group "Vulkangruppe" left more than 100,000 people without electricity in Berlin; the investigation remains deadlocked. In recent months, Germany has faced repeated attacks against its infrastructure, some claimed by far-left activists.
The authorities' vigilance is moreover heightened by sabotage and espionage acts that Berlin accuses Moscow of since the start of the large-scale war in Ukraine.
Source: France 24 - France