A German military base next to the Cologne airport was temporarily sealed off on Wednesday as authorities investigated a possible act of sabotage involving the water supply.
In the early morning on Wednesday, a guard discovered a hole in the fence of the Cologne-Wahn base near the drinking water facility, a German military spokesperson said in a statement.
“As the drinking water system was showing unusual values, the drinking water supply in the barracks was cut off,” the spokesperson said.
The incident was first reported by German media outlet Spiegel, which cited an internal memo in which soldiers and civilian forces were urged not to use the tap water on the base under any circumstances.
Earlier in the day, German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that a NATO base in Geilenkirchen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia had also been sealed off due to possible sabotage of the water supply. A NATO spokesperson, however, denied the base had been closed or that there were any issues with the water, while also acknowledging there had been a security incident the night before.
“Yesterday evening, at around 9 p.m, someone attempted to enter the base without permission,” Donny Demmers, spokesperson for the NATO air base in Geilenkirchen, said. “The security guard prevented him in a normal way,” he added. “We automatically increased our security measures.”
The incident on the Cologne-Wahn base is currently being investigated by police and the German military’s counterintelligence services, Spiegel reported.
Around 4,300 soldiers and 1,200 civilian forces are said to work at the site in Cologne, where several command authorities and civilian departments of the German military, as well as aircraft used by the defense ministry, are based, Spiegel reported.
While there are no indications of who may have been responsible for the suspected sabotage, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in June warned of growing espionage and cyber threats from foreign adversaries including Russia, China and Iran.
An arson attack on a metal factory belonging to arms manufacturer Diehl in Berlin was among the latest cases of alleged sabotage. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the fire was set by Russian saboteurs aiming to disrupt shipments of critical arms and ammunition to Ukraine.
The Cologne-Wahn airbase is an important transport hub for Ukrainian soldiers trained in Germany.
This story has been updated.
Suspected case of sabotage on military base in Germany
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