Leftwing militants claim responsibility for arson attack on Berlin power grid | Germany

German leftist militants protesting the climate crisis and artificial intelligence claimed responsibility for an arson attack that cut off electricity to tens of thousands of homes in Berlin.

A fire that broke out early Saturday on a bridge over the Teltow canal in the southwest of the capital could leave 35,000 homes and 1,900 businesses without electricity and, in many cases, heat by January 8, grid company Stromnetz Berlin said.

While state security authorities launched an investigation into the cause of a fire near the Lichterfelde heat and power plant that damaged several high-voltage cables, Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) said it had deliberately targeted some of the city’s wealthiest areas.

In a 2,500-word leaflet seen by the Guardian, which a police spokesman described as “credible”, the group said it aimed to “cut off the waters of the ruling class”.

He condemned the “greed for energy” produced by high-emission fossil fuels and called the attack an “action in the public interest” and “an act of self-defense and international solidarity with all those who protect the earth and life.”

In the message containing details about the fire, Vulkangruppe said that data centers used for artificial intelligence pose a danger to society and worsen the problem of energy consumption that harms the climate.

“We contribute to our own oversight, and it’s comprehensive. Tech companies are in the hands of men with the power we give them,” the group said. “One day we will sit in front of shiny screens or dead machines and die of thirst and hunger.”

The group said it wanted to apologize to less affluent people affected by the power outage but had limited sympathy for the “many villa owners” currently left in the dark.

In the area affected by the power outage, there are many elderly care homes and hospitals, as well as high-rise buildings where residents live dependent on elevators that are no longer in service. Berlin saw moderate snowfall over the weekend, with overnight temperatures dropping well below freezing.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said he was convinced the mass power outage had a political purpose, while security experts said it was Distinguishing features of previous far-left attacks.

“It is unacceptable that left-wing extremists are once again endangering human lives by openly attacking our power grid,” Wegner told reporters during a visit to an emergency shelter for those without heat and hot water.

Since mobile networks were down, police used speakers installed in their vehicles to inform the public while helping people in need of care. Many regional commuter lines have been disrupted and many students due to return to school on Monday may find their holidays extended into the weekend.

In a previous arson attack attributed to the far left in September, electricity was cut for 60 hours in the area said to be south-east of Berlin. Longest power outage since World War II.

Initial theories about the weekend power outage included possible Russian sabotage, as Germany remains on high alert for attacks on its infrastructure by foreign actors.

In March 2024, Vulkangruppe claimed an arson attack was carried out on a power pole at the Tesla gigafactory outside Berlin, which knocked out the facility’s power and temporarily halted production.

In its 2024 annual security report, Germany’s domestic intelligence watchdog cited repeated attacks on the regional power grid by Vulkangruppe, which it classifies as a far-leftist organization.

He said the group, believed to be around 14 years old, chose targets based on their “visible impact on the population” and intended to cause destruction requiring painstaking and lengthy repairs with little concern for collateral damage.

Stromnetz Berlin said that 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses were initially affected in the Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde regions by the power outage that started around 6 a.m. on Saturday.

By midday Sunday, the company said on the crisis page on its website that electricity had been restored to approximately 10,000 households and 300 businesses in Lichterfelde.

But cold weather is hampering efforts to lay new underground cabling, meaning remaining households may have to wait until Thursday afternoon to turn their lights and heat back on.

“Our teams are on site and working hard to repair the materials,” Stromnetz Berlin said.

Attacks on energy infrastructure require little specialized knowledge to have a dramatic impact, maps of key components of the power grid are widely available online, and few contingency plans are ready to be put into place in case of sabotage, experts said.