US EditionLeft-Wing Militants Claim Berlin Power Plant Sabotage Attack
The Vulkangruppe claimed the arson as a protest against fossil fuels, leaving 35,000 households without power until Thursday amid freezing temperatures, officials said.
- On January 3, 2026, Stromnetz Berlin said about 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses in south-west Berlin lost power after a fire damaged cables on a bridge across the Teltow Canal.
- Police are investigating the blaze as possible arson after emergency services were alerted at 6.45am and deployed about 160 officers to the Lichterfelde site with criminal investigators present.
- Residents were warned heating systems may fail, urged to use phones sparingly and keep torches as loudspeaker vans alerted neighbourhoods; hospitals and care homes evacuated patients from two homes, while local train stations saw electronic signs fail.
- Stromnetz Berlin said it is trying to gradually restore power, but spokesman Henrik Beuster told AFP timing is unclear; a full restart needs new cables and is expected by Thursday afternoon, with some homes restored by early Sunday.
- Amid heightened concern about sabotage, Germany remains on high alert for infrastructure threats from foreign actors such as Russia, and the state security service may be involved depending on findings, recalling a September pylon arson affecting around 50,000 customers claimed by an unnamed group.
285 Articles
285 Articles
Around 25,500 households and 1,200 businesses in Berlin are still without electricity after a power outage caused by a fire in electrical cables. The far-left extremist group Vulkangruppe has claimed responsibility.
Berlin’s Terror-Blackout Enters 4th Day As Tens Of Thousands Suff...
The attack appears to have been timed to cause as much pain and suffering as possible, coinciding with a mid-winter cold snap with temperatures hovering well below freezing. The situation is quickly escalating into a humanitarian disaster as city, state and federal authorities incompentently bungle and dither about.
Germany is giving eco-terrorists an easy ride
“At first, it was an adventure. Now, the cold has arrived, and police are patrolling the area.” That’s how one Berliner described what life has been like without electricity since Saturday; on Monday night, temperatures dipped to -7°C. At the weekend, an arson attack on the grid which supplies some of the wealthiest districts of the German capital cut power to around 45,000 people and over 2,200 businesses. Left-wing militants have claimed respo…
Berlin, on Edge, Tries to Restore Power After Arson
An arson attack on an overhead cable link in Berlin has left tens of thousands of residents facing days without electricity, heat, and reliable cellphone service as temperatures remain below freezing. Firefighters were called Saturday to a blaze on a cable bridge spanning a canal that connects a major power...
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