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🇩🇪 Germany /Energy & Infrastructure

Reul Calls for Security Rethink After Power-Grid Attacks, Says Infrastructure Is ‘Extremely Sensitive’

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Under investigation
  • Herbert Reul called for stronger protection of critical infrastructure after suspected sabotage incidents near substations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg.
  • He said German privacy rules currently prevent infrastructure operators from using cameras at power facilities and argued that technology, possibly including drones, is needed.
  • Investigators are examining whether the attacks were carried out by a domestic extremist group or a foreign state.

North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul says Germany must rethink how it balances civil liberties with the protection of critical infrastructure after attacks on the power grid.

“We are extremely sensitive in Germany when it comes to video systems, and generally to any issue involving interference with civil rights or data protection,” Reul said on WDR 2’s Morgenmagazin. “Now we are seeing what that means.”

We are extremely sensitive in Germany when it comes to video systems, and generally to any issue involving interference with civil rights or data protection. Now we are seeing what that means.

· Herbert ReulThe North Rhine-Westphalia interior minister argued that privacy concerns had limited security measures for critical infrastructure.

Reul said operators of critical facilities, including electricity infrastructure, are currently not allowed to monitor them with video cameras. He argued that the rules should change because an outage or disruption to energy, transport, information technology, health, water, food, finance, government or media systems could create supply problems and threaten public safety.

Nothing works without technical capabilities.

· Herbert ReulHe said police could not manually monitor infrastructure networks on the required scale.

Germany’s infrastructure is “extremely easy to attack,” Reul said, noting that information about the location and operation of such facilities is publicly accessible. Police alone cannot monitor power or rail networks on the necessary scale, he said. “Nothing works without technical capabilities.” Operators would need lawmakers to provide the legal authority to use those tools, which could include drones.

Investigators have not identified who attacked the substation in Bergheim near Cologne or established a motive. Reul asked whether the incidents involved “a terrorist left-wing extremist scene or a foreign state.” Authorities found launch devices and pyrotechnics near both the Turnow-Preilack substation in Brandenburg and the Bergheim site. Investigators believe the incidents were acts of sabotage hostile to the constitutional order.

A terrorist left-wing extremist scene or a foreign state?

· Herbert ReulHe described the unresolved question of who was responsible for the attacks.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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