German police struggle to identify suspects behind Berlin power outage

By Salih Okuroglu

VIENNA (AA) - German police have so far failed to identify those responsible for a power outage that left around 100,000 people without electricity in the capital Berlin earlier this month.

The Jan. 3 sabotage of electricity cables supplying the Lichterfelde power plant was claimed by the far-left Volcano Group in a written statement.

German police assessed the claim as credible, citing the presence of “original information” in the text. However, investigators say they have not yet obtained conclusive evidence leading to the perpetrators.

- Experts say attack was professionally carried out

Several experts quoted in German media described the attack as a professionally executed operation likely carried out by individuals with technical knowledge of critical infrastructure.

Felix Neumann, a terrorism and extremism expert at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told GMX magazine that based on previous similar attacks, the Volcano Group likely consists of a small, closed circle that does not accept new members.

“I assume they conduct long-term reconnaissance of their targets, take weather conditions into account, and choose moments when their members are unlikely to be identified,” Neumann said.

“They know exactly where and how to carry out attacks, what tools to use, and how to erase their traces. These are not amateurs; they must be professionals.”

- Attackers believed to have left almost no traces

Police continue to review hundreds of hours of surveillance footage.

According to Welt newspaper, the investigation has proven difficult because the perpetrators acted with a high degree of professionalism and left almost no traces.

Initial findings suggest the attackers did not carry mobile phones to the scene and deliberately avoided security cameras. Investigators have so far found no fingerprints or DNA evidence.

Police said dozens of witnesses have been questioned, but only “a few” statements are considered promising.

- New statement sparks controversy

After some politicians suggested Russia could be behind the attack, a new statement issued in the name of the Volcano Group appeared in the German press.

The statement rejected claims of Russian involvement, saying: “These speculations are nothing more than attempts to conceal one’s own weakness. Those who insist that every act of sabotage must be linked to a foreign intelligence service deny the reality of internal social conflicts.”

Berlin Deputy Police Chief Marco Langner also said there were no indications pointing to Russian involvement.

“Our investigations, conducted in cooperation with the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), clearly point to the Volcano Group,” Langner said.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), said it believes the new statement is authentic.

- Third statement contradicts earlier claims

Meanwhile, a third statement published on the far-left Indymedia website and attributed to the Volcano Group contradicted the earlier claims.

The statement said the Jan. 3 attack was not carried out by the group, arguing: “Our past actions are being used to legitimize current attacks. We reject this.”

Authorities have not verified whether the statement was written by the Volcano Group.

- Volcano Group

According to the BfV, the Volcano Group has carried out arson and sabotage attacks against critical infrastructure in Berlin and the neighboring state of Brandenburg at irregular intervals since 2011.

German security authorities describe the group as a “violence-oriented anarchist” structure that defines itself through “anti-capitalist and ecological struggle” rhetoric.

The BfV said the group’s size and organizational structure remain unclear, adding that it is believed to consist of several smaller, loosely connected cells rather than a single unified organization.

- Jan. 3 attack

Following the sabotage of electricity cables in Berlin on Jan. 3, around 100,000 people in the city’s southwest experienced one of the longest power outages since World War II, leaving residents without electricity and heating for days during winter.

The far-left Volcano Group (Vulkan Gruppe) claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office later announced it had launched an investigation into the incident on suspicion of terrorism.

By the fifth day after the attack, electricity provider Stromnetz Berlin said power had been fully restored to all affected subscribers.

During the outage, an 83-year-old woman was found dead in her home. Police said it remains unclear whether her death was caused by a fall or underlying health issues, and an autopsy has been ordered.