Another device found at German substation as police suspect sabotage

A suspicious device found at an electricity substation in Dormagen has prompted German police to investigate possible sabotage.

A passerby discovered the object at the substation on Thursday evening in the western city, located between Cologne and Düsseldorf. Police said the inspection had not yet finished and described it as a possible “suspicious launch device.” The police did not confirm a Bild report that homemade rocket launchers, fitted with timers and copper wires, had been found.

Investigators are checking substations in surrounding regions for other suspicious objects. No damage has been found so far in Dormagen. The only reported damage linked to the wider series occurred at a substation in Bergheim, west of Cologne.

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Suspicious launch device

Authorities earlier said unknown perpetrators had placed cables overground on power lines on Tuesday in an apparent attempt to cause a short circuit. Several launch devices were later discovered. A similar incident took place in Brandenburg near the Jänschwalde power plant, where more than 10 homemade devices directed electrically conductive material toward high-voltage transmission lines. The network operator said the power supply did not fail.

Investigators believe the Bergheim and Jänschwalde incidents were sabotage carried out for anti-constitutional purposes. German newspaper taz reported receiving a letter claiming responsibility for the Brandenburg incident. The letter said the sender acted alone and cited the “immeasurable suffering” caused by fossil-fuel use as a motive. However, the newspaper said it could not establish beyond doubt whether the letter’s author was responsible for the incident.

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Immeasurable suffering