Unknown individuals attempted to set fire to a power substation in the town of Erkrath near Düsseldorf, but the attack failed and the facility continued to operate without interruption. This was reported by the Wuppertal public prosecutor’s office.
According to investigators, the perpetrators placed an incendiary device under one of the two transformers at the Unterfeldhaus substation. The aim was presumably to cut off power to the industrial area on Max Planck Street. Despite this, the substation did not fail and there were no power outages.
The authorities’ attention was drawn to a letter of confession published on the left-wing platform Indymedia on behalf of the group “Kommando Angry Birds.” The text claims that the attack was a protest against environmental problems and industrial pollution: “Our limits have been exceeded.” The authors also left graffiti with the words “SWITCH OFF” and the group’s acronym.
Prosecutor Baumert classified the incident as an attack on critical infrastructure, noting that if successful, it could have led to a large-scale power outage. The investigation is being conducted under articles on arson and sabotage.