Arson attack on power cables in Berlin-Marzahn

An arson attack was carried out on power cables in Berlin-Marzahn. However, according to initial findings, the police do not believe the crime was politically motivated. The fire under a cable bridge damaged the sheathing of the power cables, but the power supply was only interrupted for a brief moment, the police said.

According to the fire department, old tires and junk were burning under a bridge on Boxberger Strasse around 4 a.m. early in the morning. According to the police, the perpetrators placed the objects under the power cables and then set them on fire.

The police are investigating arson and have secured evidence on site, a police spokesman said. The state security agency at the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), which is responsible for politically motivated acts by extremists, was initially not involved in the investigation.

According to Stromnetz Berlin spokesman Henrik Beuster, two 110,000-volt high-voltage cables and several medium-voltage lines with 10,000 volts were damaged. The repair work is in progress. 19 companies and businesses had to be temporarily disconnected from the power grid. “They have been supplied again from an emergency generator since around 9 a.m.,” said Beuster.

The police union (GdP) suspects a targeted attack on the infrastructure. “The investigation into the serious arson is open-ended in all directions, but anyone who assumes that several tires have been set on fire under a cable bridge is a coincidence also believes in Santa Claus,” said GdP spokesman Benjamin Jendro.

There have been several attacks on power lines in Berlin in the past. These sometimes led to large power outages and were attributed to left-wing extremist groups. These were professionally carried out attacks.