Berlin: A suspected politically motivated arson attack on two high-voltage pylons caused a widespread power outage in the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick on Tuesday morning. At around 3.30 a.m., previously unknown perpetrators set fire to the pylons on Königsheideweg in Johannisthal, destroying several power cables.
As a result, around 50,000 households and businesses were temporarily without electricity. Social facilities and infrastructure were also affected: Several schools remained closed and two care homes had to be looked after by the fire department. Traffic lights and street lamps failed, 110 and 112 emergency calls were temporarily unavailable. The fire department moved ventilated patients from the affected homes to hospitals to ensure their care.
The investigation has been taken over by the State Office of Criminal Investigation, which is responsible for political offenses. Traces of fire accelerants and a metal chain were found at the scene of the crime - apparently used to cause a short circuit after the cable insulation had burned down. A letter of confession published on the left-wing internet platform Indymedia by a group called „einige Anarchist:innen“ is being checked for authenticity. In it, the authors claim responsibility for the sabotage and justify the attack as an attack on the Adlershof Technology Park and the „military-industrial complex“.
Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) condemned the act as a „dangerous attack“ that was „directly directed against Berliners “* and „deliberately endangered human lives and the security of our city“.
Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) spoke of a „high level of criminal energy“ behind the crime and announced to the perpetrators: „We'll get you“.
Meanwhile, the restoration of the power supply is in full swing. By late Tuesday morning, parts of the affected area had already been reconnected to the grid thanks to switchovers, but by the evening around 25,000 customers were still without power. According to the operator Stromnetz Berlin, in the worst-case scenario, electricity will not be available everywhere again until Thursday evening. Aid organizations are therefore preparing to work in the affected districts for several days.
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