Power grid sabotage: police search in vain for Daniel V. at Hambach Forest
Police searched for the 48-year-old suspect with up to 100 vehicles at Hambach Forest without success. The manhunt for Daniel V. is continuing.
Large-scale operation at Hambach Forest unsuccessful
Police conducted a large-scale search at Hambach Forest near Kerpen, west of Cologne, for the suspect in an attempted sabotage of Germany's power grid – without result. According to deutschlandfunk.de, search operations began at midday and were called off at 7 p.m. A spokesman for Cologne police told news agency dpa that no leads had been found.
The objective of the operation was to locate the 48-year-old suspect Daniel V. himself or find traces of him. A dpa reporter at the scene observed up to 100 police vehicles at the operation site.
Manhunt continues – bicycle sought
The search for Daniel V. is meanwhile continuing. According to a wanted notice, he could be fleeing by bicycle. Brandenburg police are searching for a black bicycle of the brand Trenoli, model "Tazio Sportivo M", with a frame height of 56 centimetres. Police are accepting information at telephone number 0331 – 505950 and via the information portal of the North Rhine-Westphalia police.
On Friday, officers had discovered explosives in the suspect's flat in Gevelsberg (North Rhine-Westphalia). A specialist operations unit later raided a lorry converted into a motorhome in a forest near Niederzier, roughly 100 kilometres away – the man being sought was not found there either.
Attacks on substations in three states
On the previous Tuesday, attacks were carried out on substations near Jänschwalde in Brandenburg and Bergheim in North Rhine-Westphalia. Further suspicious devices were subsequently discovered in Dormagen and Weisweiler. According to police and network operators, conductive material was fired into high-voltage power lines using pyrotechnic projectiles to cause short circuits. Launch devices were secured in the surrounding area.
The incidents are concentrated in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and most recently Saxony – three states where lignite is still mined and converted into electricity. Investigations are underway on suspicion of causing an explosive device detonation in conjunction with attempted disruption of public utilities and attempted anti-constitutional sabotage.
Admission of responsibility letters and political reactions
Several media outlets received letters claiming responsibility, which dpa also has access to. Authorities classify these as authentic. In the letters, the suspect justified the attacks with criticism of energy production using fossil fuels.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) pointed to the "clear knowledge of the perpetrator" in the letters and stated that it was likely a lone actor and "climate extremism". Deputy chairman of the Union faction Günter Krings (CDU) warned against a "tacit approval" of such actions. The attacks had "a terrorist quality", Krings told the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger", and called for consistent application of strict criminal offences to protect democratic order.
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)