Twelve explosive devices at high-voltage lines in Saxony discovered and defused
Police in eastern Saxony have found twelve homemade explosive devices at power lines. Connections to similar attacks in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia are being examined.
Explosive attack on power grid: Twelve devices secured in Lusatia
Police in eastern Saxony have discovered and defused a total of twelve homemade explosive devices at high-voltage power lines. According to DER SPIEGEL (Justice & Crime), the explosive devices were intended to cause damage to electrical high-voltage lines through a short circuit. Specialists from the State Criminal Police Office rendered the devices harmless. There were no power outages or threats to the public.
Investigators found evidence in two areas: in the vicinity of the Bärwalde substation near Lippen and east of the Graustein substation near Schleife. Both locations are in the Lusatian brown coal region, near the border with Brandenburg. The investigation is focusing on suspicions of causing an explosive explosion in combination with attempted disruption of public utilities and attempted sabotage against the constitutional order.
The police operation was triggered on Friday by "inter-agency information" as well as a tip from an alert citizen. Police and the Dresden Public Prosecutor General's office are currently examining possible connections to similar incidents in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia. "The Saxon criminal prosecution and security authorities are in close coordination with the affected states," the authorities stated.
The search for further devices is ongoing. As a precaution, electrical infrastructure in the region will continue to be searched, it was said. The investigators are appealing to the public for information: photographs and video material as well as observations of suspicious persons or vehicles in the area of high-voltage power lines are of particular interest. "Every tip can be of significance for clarifying these incidents," the authorities explained.
In connection with similar attacks in other federal states, police are searching with a wanted poster for 48-year-old Daniel V., who is registered in Gevelsberg and is currently at large. The suspect had identified himself through a statement of responsibility.