Federal Prosecutor’s Office investigates Berlin power grid attack: Report

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office has taken over the investigation following the attack on Berlin's power grid, the weekly Der Spiegel news magazine cited security circles as saying Tuesday.

The far-left group the Vulkangruppe had claimed responsibility for a sabotage attack that left around 50,000 households without electricity in Berlin on Saturday.

The suspected left-wing extremist perpetrators are accused of membership in a terrorist group, sabotage and disruption of public services, among other things.

On the morning of Jan. 3, a fire broke out on a cable bridge located in southwestern Berlin, destroying important supply lines.

According to reports in the German media, the Vulkangruppe sent a letter to police, saying it had set fire to cables connected to an energy plant in the Lichterfelde district, describing the act as “an action in the public interest.”

The group claimed it had successfully sabotaged a natural gas power plant, portraying the attack as an act of international solidarity against the fossil fuel industry.

The Vulkangruppe also apologized to residents of less affluent neighborhoods affected by the outage, saying its sympathy for the wealthy was limited.

Authorities said the Vulkangruppe has been linked to multiple arson attacks in Berlin and Brandenburg since 2011 and has also been associated with attacks on the electrical infrastructure of a Tesla factory in 2021 and 2024.