Germany investigates suspected sabotage of electricity grid
A new suspected sabotage against the electricity grid is being investigated in Germany. A major police operation has taken place at an electricity plant west of Cologne.
A similar incident on Tuesday is now being investigated as a possible terrorist crime.
On Monday evening, there was a disruption in the power supply that passed through a transformer station in Bergheim in the Rhineland in western Germany.
– We do not believe that it is due to a technical fault but to a deliberate act, a police spokesperson told Westdeutscher Rundfunk.
Cables had been laid on top of the power lines to cause a short circuit, says Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper.
This affected the operations of two connected coal-fired power plants. However, it is not said to have led to any power outages.
On Tuesday, a similar incident took place on the other side of the country. Several explosive devices were found at a transformer station in the eastern state of Brandenburg. The station is connected to Jänschwalde, which is one of Germany's largest coal-fired power plants.
On Wednesday, German police announced that it was being investigated as a possible terrorist attack.
On Monday, the German government accused Russia of being behind sabotage plans where explosive-laden drones were found at Leipzig/Halle airport earlier in August. There, and in many other countries in Europe, there have been alarms about an escalation in Russian hybrid warfare alongside the war in Ukraine.
In January of this year, there was sabotage against the power grid in Berlin, cutting off power to around 45,000 households. At that time, a left-wing extremist group claimed responsibility.
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