German prosecutors have arrested two Belarusian men on suspicion of planning a Russia-linked sabotage attack near Nuremberg.
The Munich public prosecutor’s office confirmed that the 39- and 50-year-old suspects were detained on 7 October under arrest warrants issued by the Fürth district court. They are accused of conspiring to commit arson on a building or critical infrastructure facility in the Nuremberg area using accelerants, allegedly for payment and on behalf of a foreign government or organisation .
The case was transferred to the Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism, which is investigating charges of conspiracy to commit arson in conjunction with espionage for sabotage purposes. Authorities suspect the target may have been a railway line or power line, with the intent to cause significant material damage and endanger Germany’s security .
Romanian authorities are also investigating the two men for their alleged involvement in a 14 September arson attack on an industrial park in Brașov, where a defence company operates. Romania’s SRI intelligence service stated the attack was part of a Russia-directed sabotage network and has requested the extradition of the two Belarusians, along with a Ukrainian national arrested in Poland .
The Ukrainian suspect, identified as Artem S., was detained in Warsaw on a European arrest warrant and is contesting extradition to Romania. Polish courts will decide on his transfer .
The suspects remain in pretrial detention in Germany, with their potential transfer to Romania marked as provisional custody. German prosecutors have not disclosed further details about the Romanian investigation .
