Explosives found at two more electricity substations in Germany
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
German police officers carrying out searches on Sept 2, after a sabotage attempt on Germany's electricity grid.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Explosives were found near two electricity substations in Germany, with police investigating links to recent attacks aimed at causing blackouts by targeting coal-fired power stations.
- A 48-year-old man named Daniel V claimed responsibility, and police found suspected explosives in his apartment while bomb disposal teams safely disabled devices near Baerwalde and Graustein substations.
- Authorities suspect "climate extremism" motives, with past attacks linked to far-left activists protesting coal mining, including a major January blackout in Berlin affecting thousands of homes and businesses.
AI generated
BERLIN - Explosives have been found near two electricity substations in Germany, with authorities investigating whether the incidents were linked with similar attacks earlier this week, police said on Sept 5.
Germany has been rattled by attacks on electricity substations across the country this week which were apparently aimed at cutting power from coal-fired power stations and causing widespread blackouts.
Authorities said the attacks were likely a case of “climate extremism”, after a 48-year-old man, named in German media as Daniel V, sent letters claiming responsibility for the acts and suspected explosives were found during searches of his apartment.
On Sept 5, regional authorities said that, “Following a report from a citizen, 12 improvised explosive devices were discovered on Friday near high-voltage lines close to the electrical substations of Baerwalde (near Bautzen) and Graustein (near Goerlitz).”
Bomb disposal units disabled the devices and the surrounding electricity lines were briefly taken offline for the operation, police said.
Police said they were investigating a “possible link” with the other incidents at electricity substations.
On Sept 4, the Bild tabloid reported that a heavily armed elite police team had stormed a truck in Hambach Forest in North Rhine-Westphalia state suspected of belonging to the activist, but had failed to apprehend him.
The area is highly symbolic for Germany’s climate movement. Activists spent years protesting plans to raze vast tracts of forest to expand the nearby Hambach open-cast lignite mine.
Germany has faced a spate of attacks on the power grid in recent times, with far-left activists claiming responsibility in some cases.
The most serious took place in Berlin in January, causing an electricity outage that left tens of thousands of homes and thousands of businesses without power for nearly a week in the middle of winter. AFP
