Germany Probes Possible Sabotage in Two Power Grid Incidents
German police investigate two separate power disruptions as possible sabotage, with incendiary devices found at one site.
German authorities are investigating two separate incidents that disrupted power distribution systems on Tuesday, treating both as possible sabotage. The incidents occurred at substations in the west and east of the country, but neither caused a general power outage.
In the western incident, a short circuit at the Bergheim substation near Cologne knocked several power lines out of service. Police in Essen said they do not believe the cause was a technical defect, but rather a deliberate criminal act.
In a separate morning incident, multiple incendiary devices were discovered at a substation near the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg. Two of the devices caused short circuits, but again, there was no widespread outage.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Jan Redmann said authorities cannot rule out any perpetrators, noting that Germany faces a "hybrid threat" and that foreign powers could be behind the attack. The comments come amid heightened alert following the government's accusation that Russia was responsible for a drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month.
Similar incidents have occurred before. In January, suspected left-wing extremists set fire to high-voltage power lines near a power plant in southwest Berlin.