Following a large-scale power outage in the Swabian city of Reutlingen, investigators suspect arson as the cause. The suspicion is of "intentional arson and disruption of public services," said Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Manuel Hagel (CDU) on Monday evening in Reutlingen. The state security and anti-terror centre of the State Criminal Investigation Office (LKA) have taken over the investigation. Authorities confirmed that investigations are currently being conducted against unknown persons.
"We will hold the perpetrators accountable with the full force of the law," Hagel continued. However, he stressed it was still too early for a final assessment. The investigation would be conducted "openly in all directions." It would also be determined whether "an arson attack has actually taken place here, or even a terrorist act," said Hagel. "Our investigation team will turn over every single stone."
In a joint statement from the LKA Baden-Württemberg and the Stuttgart General Prosecutor's Office, it was confirmed that investigations are currently underway against unknown persons on suspicion of intentional arson and disruption of public services. No information on possible suspects or motives is currently available. In addition to expert forensic investigators, a fire accelerant detection dog has also been deployed at the scene.
An LKA spokesperson told AFP that it is becoming apparent "that it was arson, possibly with the use of a fire accelerant." The corresponding investigations, however, have not yet been concluded.
Overnight into Monday, fires broke out at two electrical substations in the city at the foot of the Swabian Alb; around 7,600 households were initially left without power. In addition to Reutlingen, a city of 120,000 residents, parts of the neighbouring municipalities of Wannweil and Kirchentellinsfurt were also affected.
Reutlingen police announced they would be taking "reinforced presence measures" in the area of critical infrastructure, with a police unit of one hundred officers deployed overnight in affected areas so that residents could feel safe.
Reutlingen's Mayor Thomas Keck (SPD) pointed out that the city's hospital had also been temporarily affected by the power outage. This had "truly gone radically after other people's lives, and that is unforgivable," said Keck. He added: "We must defend ourselves, we do not yet know against whom." It was now "justified to truly deploy everything to identify the perpetrators and bring them to just punishment."
The clinic was able to manage the overnight outage with emergency power supply. According to the city, the central substation resumed operations after several hours, reconnecting the city centre, and with it the hospital, to the power grid.
Dirk Güsewell of energy provider EnBW said in Reutlingen that "today over the course of the day, customers were able to be successively reconnected." This was "good news." However, Güsewell was unwilling to commit to how long it would take until all affected customers had their power restored. Repair teams were working flat out to rectify the resulting damage as quickly as possible.
In Berlin in early January, a fire attack on a cable bridge had temporarily left 45,000 households and 2,200 commercial units without power. The far-left extremist Vulkan Group claimed responsibility for that attack.
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