New incidents reported at power substations in Germany
Overnight into Monday, Germany saw two new incidents at energy infrastructure sites in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, part of a recent string of attacks a suspect has claimed responsibility for.
Overnight into Monday, September 7, two separate incidents occurred at German energy infrastructure sites — one in Berlin and one in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In Berlin's Mitte district, a fire at a construction site spread to a nearby substation, igniting several sections of equipment and causing multiple explosions. Twenty-five Berlin fire service personnel took part in extinguishing the blaze, and a significant part of the substation grounds burned for some time. A fire service spokesperson said it could not be ruled out that unknown individuals had accessed the site through the construction area. It remains unclear whether the fire was caused by a technical fault or deliberate arson. Police said the power supply was not disrupted.
The previous evening, around 10 p.m., a large police contingent arrived at the Niederrhein substation in the city of Wesel and cordoned off the site belonging to energy company RWE. A police spokesperson said such facilities are now receiving heightened attention and more frequent patrols. During the operation, officers noticed a hole in the perimeter fence.
A string of attacks
Both incidents occurred amid a series of similar events that have kept German investigators and politicians on alert for several days. On September 1, homemade flying devices fitted with conductive material designed to short-circuit high-voltage lines were found near a substation by a coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg; backup lines kept the power supply stable. The same day, unknown individuals fired conductive-wire fireworks at high-voltage lines near another substation in Bergheim, briefly disconnecting several power units from the grid.
On September 3 and 4, similar devices were found near other facilities, though no damage was reported. On September 5, prosecutors in Dresden reported finding 12 explosive devices near high-voltage lines.
In two letters claiming responsibility, a 48-year-old man from Gevelsberg said he was behind the attacks, citing electricity generation from fossil fuels as his motive. A search of his apartment turned up items potentially linked to explosives, but the man himself was not found and is now being sought across Europe. Germany's interior minister said the case should be described as climate extremism.
