German police arrest suspected power grid saboteur after manhunt

What the report says

German police have arrested a 48-year-old man suspected of sabotaging parts of the country’s electricity grid after a several-day manhunt, the BBC reported. Cologne police said he was detained on Tuesday near the Weisweiler power plant in western Germany while carrying explosives. Officers also found a tent nearby that had been rigged with additional explosives, and bomb disposal specialists were called to examine the devices.

According to the report, the suspect is believed to have claimed responsibility in letters for a series of attacks on electricity infrastructure in Brandenburg and Saxony in eastern Germany, as well as North Rhine-Westphalia in the west. German media identified him as Daniel V, though authorities did not release full identifying details. Police had been searching for him after finding launch devices on high-voltage lines near Weisweiler on Monday, along with another confession letter.

The incidents appear to have followed a similar method: rockets were used to shoot wires across high-voltage cables, causing short circuits. The attacks have temporarily taken some power-generating units offline, raising concern about wider disruption. In Saxony alone, police said they found 21 devices near high-voltage lines last week. Interior Minister Armin Schuster said the case could have risked a regional blackout, but urged caution while investigators continued their work. More broadly, sabotage of energy infrastructure has become a security concern in Europe, especially given recent worries about critical infrastructure protection.