Berlin mayor warns on infrastructure after power station attack

BERLIN : A suspected arson attack on a Berlin power station over the weekend left around 45,000 households and more than 2,000 businesses without electricity, authorities said. The far-left group Volcano, which opposes fossil fuel use, claimed responsibility.

The attack also disrupted mobile phone services, cut heating during freezing temperatures, halted train services, and forced hospitals to rely on backup generators.

“Left-wing terrorism is back in Germany with increasing intensity,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild newspaper. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said talks with the federal government would focus on better protecting the capital’s critical infrastructure.

Power has been partially restored to 14,500 households, but full restoration is expected by Thursday, according to the city’s network operator Stromnetz Berlin. The incident follows a 2024 attack by Volcano on a power pylon near Tesla’s factory outside Berlin.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has highlighted left-wing militancy, naming groups like Volcano as a growing threat to critical infrastructure.