Suspected sabotage at substation in Dormagen – Police investigating

According to consistent media reports, the sender of a claim of responsibility presents himself as a lone perpetrator. The newspaper writes: „Nach Angaben der Zeitung stellt sich der Absender als Einzeltäter dar, der die verwendeten Selbstbauraketen im Detail beschreibt." The letter reportedly describes the homemade rockets allegedly used to attack the facilities. Whether the letter is authentic is the subject of the ongoing investigations.

Claim of responsibility and state of the investigation

In parallel, police are investigating incidents in the southern Brandenburg region, including a possible attack on the Jänschwalde power plant. Brandenburg's Interior Minister Jan Redmann, in view of the situation, spoke of an urgent need to upgrade the protection of critical infrastructure. The public prosecutor's offices in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt (Oder) are reviewing the proceedings.

Cologne Police said they secured traces at the affected facilities and interviewed residents and employees of the energy suppliers. In addition, it is being examined whether there are connections between the incidents in Dormagen, Bergheim, and Brandenburg. Police made no statements about potential suspects as of Thursday evening.

Impact on the power supply

Energy suppliers are currently checking whether there were any notable supply disruptions. According to findings so far, the power supply in the greater Cologne area remained stable. The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance said it is monitoring the situation closely and is in contact with the federal states.

Security authorities see a pattern in the clustering of incidents. In the past, sabotage attacks on power grids in several European countries have raised concern. The domestic intelligence services in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg are currently evaluating indications and examining possible links to extremist scenes, according to reports.

Reactions and protective measures

Police announced that the area around the substation in Dormagen would be cordoned off over a wide perimeter on a temporary basis. Residents were asked to avoid the area and report anything unusual. Dog handlers and sniffer dogs are also being deployed to track down possible additional dangerous objects.

The investigations are ongoing. Cologne Police also appealed for information from the public and announced further details in the coming days. The extent of property damage to the facilities was initially not quantified. Energy suppliers and grid operators spoke of manageable damage to individual components.

With regard to the protection of critical infrastructure, local politicians from the region are calling for better staffing and technical security at substations. At the federal level as well, additional protective measures and faster reporting channels are being discussed, according to security circles.