Power grid saboteur Daniel V. on the run: Major manhunt under way in North Rhine-Westphalia
A major manhunt is underway in North Rhine-Westphalia for Daniel V. (48), who is suspected of sabotaging high-voltage power lines using homemade rockets. A suspicious person was sighted near a transformer station on the outskirts of Remscheid.
Police hunt alleged power saboteur across all of North Rhine-Westphalia
Between Remscheid and Wuppertal, police launched a wide-ranging manhunt on Tuesday for a 48-year-old man from Gevelsberg. The suspect Daniel V. is alleged to have committed acts of sabotage against the power grid across several federal states — using homemade rocket devices designed to fire wires over high-voltage power lines and trigger short circuits. According to BILD, a suspicious person carrying a rucksack was seen near a transformer station in the Remscheid-Lüttringhausen and Wuppertal-Ronsdorf area — whether this was the wanted man remained unclear initially.
A spokesman for Cologne police confirmed that operations have been under way throughout the greater Wuppertal area since the morning. A helicopter circled over the affected area. "We now have operations running throughout the state of North Rhine-Westphalia," the spokesman said. Undercover operations were also under way; he provided no further details so as not to jeopardise the manhunt.
Launch devices defused on the A4
A major operation also took place on the A4 motorway near Langerwehe in Düren district. Launch devices were seized near a high-voltage power line. Police closed the motorway to search for the perpetrator; witnesses are still being sought. According to police, the devices were defused.
In Saxony, the number of homemade apparatus found there alone rose to 21. Specialist units from the state criminal office rendered the explosive devices harmless, which were located in the immediate vicinity of high-voltage power lines.
Confession letters in BILD's possession
Last week, V. sent two confession letters to various media newsrooms. These letters are, according to BILD's own account, in BILD's possession. They state: "Hello people! I am the one who caused short circuits in the power grid around the Jänschwalde and 'Schwarze Pumpe' power plants." As his motive, he cites protest against "electricity generation from fossil fuels."
In Bergheim west of Cologne, one of these actions is said to have temporarily disabled a multi-storey facility of a power plant. However, no actual power cuts affected consumers.
60-strong investigative team reviews documents
An investigative team of 60 officers is currently examining extensive documents in the possession of the wanted man — including possible leads on further planned attack targets throughout the federal territory. Cologne police are coordinating the manhunt with authorities in other federal states; V. is said to have committed acts of sabotage both in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Brandenburg.
According to Wuppertal police, a member of the public reported the suspicious person at the Remscheid transformer station. Hours after operations began, the person had still not been apprehended. "We'll only know that once we encounter the person, but that hasn't happened so far," said the Wuppertal police spokesman.
Source: BILD