Germany Investigates Another Attack on Energy Infrastructure

German police are investigating an attempted act of sabotage on a transformer in Dormagen, south of Düsseldorf, according to the newspaper Bild. It is the latest in a string of suspicious incidents involving German energy infrastructure over the past week.

Police received a handwritten letter in which a man also claimed responsibility for Tuesday's damage to a substation in nearby Bergheim, an incident that knocked out 4,200 megawatts of generating capacity. The author identified himself in the letter, though it remains unclear whether he is the actual perpetrator. Police in Cologne confirmed they are aware of the letter but did not disclose further details.

In Brandenburg this week, devices containing conductive material damaged power lines at one of the region's most important high-voltage substations. On Friday, police also cordoned off the area around a substation in Ganderkesee due to suspicious circumstances.

The German interior ministry stated that, in its view, it is no coincidence that such “hybrid attacks” are occurring ahead of Sunday's election in Saxony-Anhalt, where Alternative for Germany (AfD) holds a significant lead in the polls.

Germany had previously accused Moscow of an August drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport, which it described as part of a hybrid war. Russia rejected the accusations as unfounded.

(Reuters, bak)