German authorities probe possible sabotage in 2 power disruptions

Key Points:

• Authorities in Germany are investigating two recent disruptions at power substations in Brandenburg and Bergheim as possible sabotage, with the eastern incident also being probed for links to terrorism.
• Explosive devices resembling rocket-like fireworks were found near the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant, while a deliberate short circuit caused outages at the Bergheim substation near Cologne.
• Neither incident impacted the general power supply, but officials are considering foreign powers or left-wing extremists as potential suspects amid heightened security concerns following a recent drone attack blamed on Russia.
• Investigations revealed that the Bergheim short circuit was caused by placing conductive cables over power lines, and several launch devices were found nearby, suggesting a coordinated effort to disrupt critical infrastructure.
• German authorities are coordinating efforts to determine if the two incidents are connected, emphasizing the vulnerability of the country's critical infrastructure to hybrid threats.