Sabotage suspect held in Germany after spate of attacks on power grid

Fonte da imagem, ReutersPor Amy Walker Um homem de 48 anos foi preso sob suspeita de ter realizado uma série de ataques de sabotagem na rede elétrica da Alemanha depois de passar vários dias na fuga.

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O suspeito estava carregando explosivos quando foi detido perto da usina de Weisweiler, no oeste da Alemanha, na terça-feira, disse a polícia de Colônia.

A tent in nearby undergrowth was also found to be rigged with further explosives, they added.

The suspect, named by German media as Daniel V, is believed to have written letters claiming responsibility for the attacks, which have taken place in Brandenburg and Saxony in the east as well North Rhine-Westphalia in the west.

Police said explosives found during the arrest were being examined by a bomb disposal expert, while officers were checking to see if any undiscovered devices had been set up in the surrounding area.

Antes da prisão do suspeito na terça-feira, a polícia disse que havia encontrado vários dispositivos de lançamento em linhas de alta tensão perto da planta Weisweiler na tarde de segunda-feira, junto com 'another confession letter.

A series of incidents across the grid in the last week have followed a similar pattern, with rockets used to shoot wires across high-voltage cables in order to cause short circuits.

Image source, German policeImage caption, Pictures of the suspect were released by police to German media outlets while he was on the run.

Os ataques levaram a que unidades geradoras de energia em algumas usinas fossem temporariamente retiradas da rede.

A statement from the Cologne Public Prosecutor's Office and Cologne Police on Tuesday did not provide further details on the suspect, or on the number and whereabouts of incidents he has been linked to.

Os meios de comunicação alemães já haviam relatado ter recebido duas cartas do suspeito que reivindicava responsabilidade pelos ataques. O Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung disse que as cartas manuscritas continham informações que ainda não haviam sido divulgadas.

The letters were apparently signed with the first name Daniel, while his surname was kept anonymous, in line with German privacy rules. The letters also gave a residential address in the town of Gevelsberg.

Cologne Police had previously said it was searching for a 48-year-old suspect from the town in connection with the sabotage of electrical substations in three German states.

Investigators had also said explosives were found during a search of the suspect's apartment.

Na Saxônia, apenas, a polícia encontrou 21 dispositivos perto de linhas de alta tensão na última sexta-feira e sábado.

Interior Minister Armin Schuster has admitted it could have led to a regional blackout, but he has warned against jumping to conclusions.

The way this deed was committed makes this case unusual, as well as the manner of the confession," he said.