Water contaminated?

Suspected sabotage at German military sites

NATO aircraft in Geilenkirchen (archive photo)(Bild: VanderWolf Images)

Sabotage is suspected at two military bases in Germany. In Cologne, tap water could be contaminated, the Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.

The German Armed Forces air base in Cologne and the NATO base in Geilenkirchen, both in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, were affected on Wednesday. In Cologne, the barracks had been closed for investigations, according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. Ulrich Fonrobert from the Bundeswehr state command added that "abnormal water values" had been detected on Wednesday night. As a result, a hole had been discovered in the barracks' perimeter fence near the water system.

There have been no cases of illness so far. However, soldiers and other personnel were called upon "not to take drinking water under any circumstances".

Man prevented from entering
Suspected sabotage was also reported from Geilenkirchen. A NATO spokesperson said on Wednesday that a man had unsuccessfully attempted to enter the site on Tuesday evening. The base was then investigated as a matter of routine, but remained in operation. Both sites have their own hydroelectric power stations. In Geilenkirchen, however, there were no indications of problems with the water quality.

Background unknown
The possible background to the incident was initially unknown to the public. The police and military police, the Military Counter-Intelligence Service (MAD) and the State Security Service were involved in the investigation. Experts had repeatedly warned that military infrastructure could be the target of Russian spying or sabotage attempts.