Germany probes suspected sabotage at two power substations as terrorism

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Germany probes suspected sabotage at two power substations as terrorism
German police probe suspected attack on Cologne-area power substation after deliberate short circuit
ContinuationExplosive attack on German power substation causes short circuits, no blackout
German authorities are investigating two suspected sabotage attacks on power substations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg as potential acts of terrorism, officials said Wednesday.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, unknown perpetrators caused a deliberate short-circuit at a substation in Bergheim near Cologne by placing conductive material over high-voltage lines, Interior Minister Herbert Reul said. Police later found six launch devices in a nearby cornfield, designed to fire pyrotechnic objects that could carry a wire over the lines. The incident forced the shutdown of multiple power plant blocks, though no widespread outages occurred. Three of five blocks were back online by Wednesday evening, with the remaining two expected to restart by the weekend, according to RWE Power .
In Brandenburg, a similar attack occurred Tuesday morning near the Turnow-Preilack substation, where authorities said around 20 homemade projectiles resembling fireworks were used to target high-voltage lines. One block of the Jänschwalde power plant was temporarily taken offline, but regional supply remained stable. Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann called it "damn lucky" the damage was limited .
Investigators are examining potential links between the two incidents, which involved comparable methods and devices. Reul said authorities are pursuing two primary lines of inquiry: foreign state-directed sabotage or far-left extremism. "Whoever does this is attacking our country," he stated . Cologne prosecutors classified the Bergheim incident as an attack on critical infrastructure and are probing possible connections to the Brandenburg case .
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