A 48-year-old German man is wanted in Germany for allegedly being behind a series of sabotage attempts on energy infrastructure in several states. According to authorities, the man from Gevelsberg, near Hagen, in the Ruhr area, claimed responsibility for the attacks in two letters sent to a newspaper. In his letters, he cited the “fight against fossil fuels” as his motivation.
Police are continuing their search for the 48-year-old, while North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister, Herbert Reul, said the letters contained information that authorities believe would only be known to those who carried out or had knowledge of the attacks. The suspect has claimed responsibility for attempts to sabotage the electricity grid near the Genshwalde and Schwarze Pumpe power plants in Brandenburg, as well as for attacks on the power supply in several areas of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Explosive devices also in Saxony
The case has become wider, as explosive devices were also found near two electricity substations in Saxony. According to police, information about these devices also came through a letter of complaint, which was received by authorities on Thursday. The suspected attacks are concentrated in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Saxony, three states where lignite continues to be mined and used for energy production.
Authorities are investigating whether the 48-year-old is responsible for all of the reported cases. Although the letters have been used as a key element of the investigation, his responsibility for the attacks has not yet been definitively confirmed. After searching the suspect's apartment on Friday, officers seized explosive materials. His vehicle was later found near the Hambach forest. It is a medium-sized truck, which the 48-year-old had adapted as a kind of caravan. However, the suspect himself has not been found and remains at large.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister, Herbert Reul, warned that despite the letters of claim, authorities could not yet rule out the possibility of sabotage orchestrated by a foreign state. Meanwhile, federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the suspected attacks on the substations as "climate extremism", warning that Germany could face other similar attempts.
Concerns about the security of critical infrastructure have also grown within the German energy sector. Christoph Müller, CEO of transmission system operator Amprion, has warned of the possibility of further attacks on the electricity grid.
In an interview with the Rheinische Post, Müller called for legal changes to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure, arguing that the online publication of a lot of data on energy and gas networks makes them more exposed to sabotage. He also called for expanding the possibilities for the use of drones and surveillance cameras, while according to him the current rules are too restrictive. Investigations in Germany continue, as police are trying to locate the 48-year-old and determine whether he is the only perpetrator or part of a wider group that may have been involved in the sabotage attempts.
