German security agency discovers weapons cache near Berlin, suspected of being involved in Russian assassination plan

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) According to investigations by the North German Broadcasting Corporation (NDR), the West German Broadcasting Corporation (WDR) and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", German security agencies discovered a weapons cache in a forest near Berlin last year, which contained two usable short guns. According to reports, German authorities believe that these weapons may be planned to be used to carry out assassinations and other operations on behalf of Russia.

One suspect was reportedly arrested in Romania last fall. This person may have been the creator of the weapons cache. The German Federal Prosecutor's Office is investigating on suspicion of planning serious acts of violence that endanger the country.

The report also stated that law enforcement officers disabled the weapon after discovering it in the woods and installed a GPS tracker to monitor its location. But secret surveillance showed no one came to take away the weapons. The perpetrator may have sensed that the hiding place had been discovered. Security officials believe the guns may have been reserved for agents operating in Germany under Moscow's command to carry out assassination missions.

Russian embassies abroad have not yet responded.

Germany's interior minister did not comment on whether Russia was directly involved.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt recently stated that German authorities are in contact with Romania regarding the possible extradition of the suspect. "This case demonstrates that we are in a high-threat environment," Dobrindt told reporters.

Dobrint confirmed previous media reports that the suspect, who was detained in Romania last year, was being investigated on suspicion of espionage and planning violent attacks that endangered national security.

However, Dobrindt declined to comment on media reports that the weapons were intended for use in targeted killing operations directed by Russian intelligence agencies. The minister only said that he could not rule out the possibility of foreign intervention.

The interior minister also did not reveal the identity of the suspect, but said the suspect was detained in connection with a parcel bomb attack planned in Romania.

"We will then determine during the course of our investigation what actions can be taken against this individual," Dobrindt added.

Dobrindt said the suspect was a "low-level agent" who did not understand his superiors' chain of command. The minister added that other operatives had been detained this year, including a Kazakh citizen, who were also in the dark about the networks to which they belonged.

Setting up secret weapons hiding spots has been a common method used by the Soviet Union as early as the Cold War. Russian intelligence services have continued to use such covert hiding spots in recent years - for example, to exchange supplies with spies lurking in Western countries using false identities.