An army air base closed and a security alert at another in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). “suspicions of sabotage”according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, have strongly shaken Germany in two places on Wednesday, August 14.
First of all, “Early in the morning, a hole was discovered in the fence of the Cologne-Wahn barracks”, in the west of the country, “near the drinking water installation” of the site, the German army announced. The perpetrators of this alleged intrusion have not yet been found, according to the Bundeswehr.
Closed to entry and exit in the morning, the base has since been reopened. But fears of a potential “sabotage” remains. A total of 4,300 soldiers and 1,200 civilian employees are active on this base considered essential in Berlin's military support for Ukraine. It houses several command posts as well as military and civilian offices of the German army.
Suspicions target Putin
The previous evening, the NATO air base in Geilenkirchen, where AWACS reconnaissance aircraft are stationed, a “attempted intrusion” had taken place. “The incident is under investigation” of the civil police, according to a press release from the international organization, which did not give further details on the nature of the facts.
The military base subsequently conducted a full inspection of the facility and the people inside, an operation that “was successfully completed”according to NATO. It assures “not to have any concerns about the security of supply” from the Geilenkirchen base, “which continues to function normally”.
While the investigation is still ongoing, suspicion is already turning to Russia. “One can imagine that a leading actor would want to show his sabotage capabilitiesMarcus Faber, chairman of the defence committee of the German House of Representatives, commented to the daily newspaper Image. The one who has the greatest interest in this is Putin.”
Source: Lemonde
