Two men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence and planning to sabotage German and U.S. military facilities.
The German prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Thursday that the men sought to undermine German military support for Ukraine. Authorities have searched the men’s homes and workplaces.
According to prosecutors, one of the suspects, identified only as Dieter S. under German privacy laws, is believed to have plotted attacks with a Russian secret service contact since October last year. Authorities suspect him of planning attacks on military targets in Germany, including U.S. assets in the country, and say he took photos and videos of potential targets.
The Spiegel news service reported that sites earmarked for sabotage included the Grafenwoehr army base in the southern state of Bavaria, one of the main locations for training for Ukrainian troops on Abrams tanks supplied by the U.S.
The planned attacks were "intended in particular to undermine the military support provided by Germany to Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression," according to a statement by the German prosecution service cited by Reuters.
Prosecutors also believe that Dieter S. fought for pro-Russian separatists in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine between December 2014 and September 2016 and had acquired weapons for the purpose. Dieter S. was reportedly brought before a federal court in Karlsruhe on Wednesday and remanded in custody.
The second suspect, named Alexander J., also a German-Russian dual national, was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. He has been suspected of collaborating with Dieter S. since March this year.
The Moscow Times reported on Thursday that the country’s ambassador to Berlin, Sergey Nechayev, had been summoned to the German Foreign Ministry over the arrests. A Kremlin spokesman denied Moscow had any information on the issue, Reuters reported.
According to prosecutors, one of the suspects, identified only as Dieter S. under German privacy laws, is believed to have plotted attacks with a Russian secret service contact since October last year. Authorities suspect him of planning attacks on military targets in Germany, including U.S. assets in the country, and say he took photos and videos of potential targets.
The Spiegel news service reported that sites earmarked for sabotage included the Grafenwoehr army base in the southern state of Bavaria, one of the main locations for training for Ukrainian troops on Abrams tanks supplied by the U.S.
The planned attacks were "intended in particular to undermine the military support provided by Germany to Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression," according to a statement by the German prosecution service cited by Reuters.
Prosecutors also believe that Dieter S. fought for pro-Russian separatists in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine between December 2014 and September 2016 and had acquired weapons for the purpose. Dieter S. was reportedly brought before a federal court in Karlsruhe on Wednesday and remanded in custody.
The second suspect, named Alexander J., also a German-Russian dual national, was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. He has been suspected of collaborating with Dieter S. since March this year.
The Moscow Times reported on Thursday that the country’s ambassador to Berlin, Sergey Nechayev, had been summoned to the German Foreign Ministry over the arrests. A Kremlin spokesman denied Moscow had any information on the issue, Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters, Polskie Radio 24
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