After attempted sabotage attacks on the energy supply in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, the police found explosives on the suspected author of two letters of responsibility. There were clear discoveries of explosives in the 48-year-old's apartment in Gevelsberg near Hagen, said North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) in Düsseldorf. According to Reul, the police stormed the suspect's vehicle in Niederzier in the Düren district. The man was not in the vehicle and may be on foot.
“We check whether the author actually has anything to do with the crimes. We are checking whether he acted alone or whether others were involved,” said Reul. “As of now we rate the letters as authentic.” He continued: “We are checking whether there are connections to Brandenburg or other incidents.” According to Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), it is most likely a lone perpetrator and “climate terrorism”. The man signed the letters alone and even gave his home address, which was unusual, said Reul.
Attacks begin in Brandenburg
The letters of responsibility were received by several German media companies. According to media reports, they contain information about acts that were not yet publicly known at the time. “The knowledge that is revealed in these letters is clear perpetrator knowledge,” said Dobrindt on Friday.
On Tuesday, according to dpa information, unknown perpetrators used more than 20 self-made rockets to direct conductive material towards the high-voltage lines in the Turnow-Preilack substation. In two cases there was a short circuit. According to the network operator, there was no power outage. The missiles resemble New Year's Eve rockets. After the sabotage of the power grid, the police are investigating, among other things, the formation of a terrorist organization.
Several incidents in NRW
The police then found six launchers during a search in a corn field in Bergheim in North Rhine-Westphalia. There were also short circuits in the power grid because a wire was shot over the power lines. Several power plant blocks were shut down.
On Thursday, emergency services found a suspicious launching device at a substation in Dormagen between Düsseldorf and Cologne. According to the police, the constructions are very similar to the launchers in Bergheim. According to information from “Bild”, there were timers and copper wires attached to the launchers.
The 48-year-old in Gevelsberg in the Ruhr area claimed all of these attacks in two letters of responsibility. In the letters, which are also available to the German Press Agency, he claims all known attacks on the power grid in the past few days and emphasizes that he acted alone. “Generating electricity from fossil fuels is a crime,” he wrote to justify his actions.
Investigators find wire at power plant near Aachen
The police searched the area around the Weisweiler power plant near Aachen with strong forces on Friday. Forensics employees were on duty in protective suits and respiratory protection. They seized numerous thin wires, as a dpa reporter observed.
They focused on several locations in a field and in bushes in the immediate vicinity of the power plant and a substation in the town of Eschweiler, as a dpa reporter reported. Officials documented the areas with photos. The police initially did not provide any further information about the operation.
Police are asking for information
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Jan Redmann (CDU) suspected a possible coordinated attack on the energy supply after the first incidents. In response, he announced a new security center in the country and accelerated legislation to protect critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure includes, for example, energy and water supply, transport and telecommunications.
The police asked the public for support in the investigation and activated a information portal. Anyone who notices people or vehicles in the area of substations can report this at https://nrw.tippportal.de/. Information can also be given by telephone on 0331 505950 around the clock.
