German military base Mechernich gives partial warning
Multiple incidents are occurring at several German Armed Forces locations in North Rhine-Westphalia. Cut fences, suspicion of manipulation, and an arrest. There's concern that the drinking water may have been contaminated. The location in Mechernich has given the all-clear. However, many questions remain unanswered.
The city of Mechernich has partially lifted the warning regarding possible drinking water contamination. Investigations by a fire department special unit have shown that the water is not biologically or chemically contaminated, a city spokesperson said. Citizens can use it again for showering and washing. However, it should still be boiled as a precaution before drinking, the spokesperson added.
The Mechernich health department had warned on Thursday evening not to use the water after discovering a cut fence at a city drinking water tank. The water could be health-endangeringly contaminated. Around 10,000 people, including the German Armed Forces base in Mechernich, were affected by the warning, according to the city's website.
Bacterial contamination is still being investigated, the spokesperson said on Friday. Cultures need to be grown, and the result may not be available until after the weekend. This is why the advice to boil drinking water was given.
The warning was also issued in light of recent incidents at the German Armed Forces base in Cologne. On Wednesday, the Cologne-Wahn air force base was locked down - there was suspicion that the water supply might have been sabotaged. A hole was found in a fence near the base's waterworks, and the German Armed Forces reported "abnormal water values" and initiated further investigations.
Who's behind it?
Following the suspected sabotage incidents, the chairman of the Bundestag's Defense Committee, Marcus Faber, pointed the finger at Russia. "Given the temporal proximity of the incidents at the two barracks, one can suspect that an enemy actor wants to demonstrate their sabotage skills here," Faber told the Bild newspaper. "The actor who has the greatest interest in this is Putin," he added, referring to the Russian president.
Similarly, the chairman of the Bundestag's Parliamentary Control Panel, Konstantin von Notz, said, "Of course, the suspicion arises that this could be a Russian sabotage action." This is a "concrete working hypothesis" for the investigations.
Other potential threats to German infrastructure should also be considered, given the ongoing investigations into the water contamination incidents. Including: examining if these incidents are part of a larger, coordinated attack.
The authorities are exploring various possibilities, including the possibility that these incidents are not isolated occurrences, but a part of a more complex, organized campaign.
