Arrest of 48-year-old saboteur of energy infrastructure in Germany — over 150 possible targets
Cologne police arrested Daniel F. near the Weisweiler power plant. A notebook found in his seized vehicle contained over 160 possible targets for sabotage.
Body camera footage captures arrest of alleged saboteur near Aachen
Gr.euronews.com broadcast video from a police officer's body camera showing the moment of arrest of 48-year-old Daniel F., who had been sought for days as an alleged saboteur of the electricity network in Germany. Police officers approach him with weapons drawn while he lies face down on the ground, place handcuffs on him and lead him to a service vehicle.
The arrest was carried out on Tuesday near the Weisweiler power generation plant in the Aachen region. According to the dpa news agency, the operation to locate him ended in a traffic stop, according to information from the newspaper Die Welt.
Over 40 devices in North Rhine-Westphalia
The Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul (CDU), informed the state parliament's interior committee that authorities have so far identified over 40 devices in the federal state. These are installations with which conductive material could be fired at substation cables, with the aim of causing short circuits and power cuts.
In the suspect's seized vehicle, researchers found a notebook with handwritten records of over 150 possible sabotage targets — a figure that in a subsequent update to the committee rose to over 160, including both already known and new locations. Following his arrest, Daniel F. also indicated seven points where he is alleged to have created hiding places.
Reul emphasised that the possible targets are not limited to North Rhine-Westphalia but extend to other federal states and neighbouring countries. "We have not only arrested the alleged perpetrator of the attacks, but have possibly also prevented many further attacks," the minister said.
Federal Prosecutor takes over investigation
Due to the particular significance of the case, the investigation was taken over by the Federal Prosecutor's Office. Its representative stated that the suspicion of sabotage directed against the constitutional state is being examined, amongst other things.
Reul raised before the interior committee the possibility that the suspect acted on the orders of a foreign power, whilst emphasising that there is currently no evidence for this. It is also being investigated whether Daniel F. acted alone, given the large number of devices that were found.
Series of incidents in recent days
In the preceding days, several alleged acts of sabotage against energy infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg had occupied the authorities. In some cases, improvised devices are said to have been used to fire conductive material at high-voltage lines, without extensive power cuts occurring.
An author of a statement of responsibility claimed responsibility for incidents at various power generation stations in both federal states. However, Saxon Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) warned against drawing hasty conclusions, characterising both the method of commission and the statement of responsibility as unusual. "Investigations are continuing at an intensive pace," Reul concluded.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)