SEK storms lorry of power-supply saboteur at Hambach Forest – suspect at large
Specialist police units searched a lorry near Hambach Forest, but the wanted Daniel V. (48) was not inside. A manhunt is underway across Europe.
Manhunt at Hambach Forest: power-supply saboteur escapes SEK operation
Near the Hambach open-cast lignite mine in North Rhine-Westphalia, the specialist police unit (SEK) stormed a suspicious lorry – but the wanted suspect Daniel V. (48) was not on board. This is reported by BILD.
The heavily armed officers approached the vehicle with caution, as they did not rule out booby traps. When the doors were forced open and the SEK searched the lorry, they found no one. The suspect had already fled.
North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul (74, CDU) confirmed the report shortly afterwards. Daniel V. was presumably on foot and would not get far, according to the minister.
Riot squad and tracking dogs deployed
During the night, police forces continued their search with high intensity at Hambach Forest for the suspect. According to Cologne police, a riot squad was on site. In the afternoon, tracking dogs had also been deployed to pick up the trail of the alleged perpetrator.
The SEK operation took place in the immediate vicinity of the controversial open-cast lignite mine between Aachen and Cologne, which has been disputed for years. Whether the suspect had planned further attacks there remained unclear for now. In a claim of responsibility, he had stated that he wanted to combat fossil fuels – including lignite coal.
Explosive-like objects found in flat
Previously, investigators had searched the flat of the 48-year-old in Gevelsberg. Reul commented on this at a press conference: "We found quite a lot in the suspect's flat, namely suspicious substances or objects suspected of being explosives. We cannot say anything about the quantity at the moment. All these findings are being examined by specialists."
The suspect is accused of a series of sabotage attacks on substations in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia. Authorities are searching for him across Europe.
Claim of responsibility with name and address
According to Reul, the claim of responsibility letter, which links the individual attacks together, contained unusually many details. The author named his full name and address in it – "very unusual, relatively rare", according to the minister. Nevertheless, it is now being examined whether Daniel V. is actually the perpetrator and whether other people are involved.
Reul assessed the letters as authentic: "The author states the fight against fossil fuels as the motive."
Federal Interior Minister speaks of climate extremism
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (56, CSU) was also present at the press conference. "Based on current information, we must assume climate extremism here", he said following Reul's remarks.
During the conference, Dobrindt apparently reached for his mobile phone after receiving a news alert. He passed the device to Reul. "If you are following the news alerts at the moment, you can see that there is currently an active operation", said the Federal Minister.
Source: BILD