By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
Authorities Investigate Possible Contamination at Strategic Military Facility
On Thursday night, approximately ten thousand residents near a military base in western Germany were instructed to stop using tap water as authorities investigated a possible s abotage incident at a local water supply site. The alert was issued after a cut fence was discovered at the water storage facility in the Mechernich area near Bonn. By Friday morning, an all clear was given, though residents were still advised to boil their water before consuming it.
The incident followed a separate event a day earlier, when an air force base near Cologne Bonn airport was sealed off due to "abnormal water values" detected in the supply. In another related incident, NATO reported an attempted breach at its Geilenkirchen base near the Dutch border.
The exact nature of the sabotage in any of these three incidents remains unclear. However, Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr, have been on heightened alert due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Geilenkirchen base houses NATO's AWACS reconnaissance planes, and the Cologne Wahn base, which is near the regional airport, hosts the German air force's leadership and government aircraft used for foreign travel. The Cologne Wahn base employs more than 5,000 soldiers and civilians, and while the outer fence was untouched, a breach was found near the water supply for the barracks.
No arrests have been made in connection with any of the suspected sabotage incidents. Meanwhile, residents in Mechernich and neighboring towns rushed to stock up on bottled water Thursday night as fire brigades warned them not to use tap water for drinking, showering, or food preparation, according to regional public broadcaster WDR.
Military officials are taking these incidents seriously. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had already stated earlier this week that Germany is facing an increased threat of Russian sabotage. She told Handelsblatt newspaper that the risks range from espionage and sabotage to cyber attacks and state terrorism, warning that the Ukrainian advance into Russian territory could heighten these threats.
Germany, the second largest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, has earmarked around €28 billion (£24 billion) in support since Russia’s full scale invasion began in February 2022. Last month, Germany’s domestic intelligence service, Verfassungsschutz, warned of an increased risk of sabotage activities, and reports surfaced of a Russian plot to assassinate the head of Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest arms manufacturer. In April, two German Russian dual nationals were arrested in Bavaria on suspicion of planning sabotage attacks on military or industrial targets.
