Germany hunts suspect linked to 'climate extremism' after power grid sabotage
German authorities believe a 48-year-old militant climate activist is behind a series of attacks on power lines this week and are now searching for him. The attacks used firework-like devices to try to short-circuit high-voltage lines near coal plants, though no major blackouts occurred.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Friday that investigators believe a militant climate activist was responsible for a recent wave of attacks on the country's electricity grid, describing the case as one of "climate extremism." Authorities are searching for a 48-year-old man whose home in the western town of Gevelsberg was searched, where suspected explosive materials were discovered.
The suspect is believed to have sent letters confessing to the attacks. Germany experienced a tense week marked by several actual and attempted attacks on electricity substations, occurring both in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and in Brandenburg in the east.
How the attacks unfolded
The perpetrator reportedly used firework-like devices to launch wires across overhead high-voltage power lines, apparently intending to cause short-circuits and disrupt electricity supply from nearby coal-fired power stations. While no major power outages resulted, some generating units at the affected plants had to be temporarily disconnected from the grid.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul said that security officials and media outlets had received letters claiming responsibility for some of the incidents. The letters contained precise details about the planned attacks, leading authorities to believe they were genuine. According to Reul, the letter writer cited the fight against fossil fuels as the motive behind the actions.
