In an update to the arson attack on a Berlin cable bridge claimed by the Volcano Group—which triggered the city's longest post-war power outage—the Federal Prosecutor's Office has assumed control of the probe. Suspected terrorist sabotage motives are under scrutiny as outages persist for over 25,000 households into day four.
The Saturday attack near the Lichterfelde gas plant initially blacked out 45,000 households and 2,200 companies. By Tuesday, 25,500 households and 1,200 businesses remained affected, but operator Berlin Stromnetz reports provisional cable works complete and restoration on track for Thursday, per CEO Bernhard Büllmann and Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU).
Federal prosecutors are investigating sabotage against the constitution, terrorist organization membership, arson, and public service disruption. Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) confirmed the Volcano Group's authentic claim, 'Turning Off the Juice for the Rulers,' attacking fossil energy exploitation (e.g., 'In the greed for energy, the earth is exploited, sucked dry...'). The anarchist group, active in Berlin/Brandenburg since 2011, has claimed 11 criminal complexes.
Police have received dozens of tips (eight promising), secured extensive video, and dismissed online Russian involvement theories. The Interior Ministry will brief the Bundestag Interior Committee.
Aid continues with 24/7 public pools for showers, Bundeswehr emergency generators/food/transport, ~20 closed schools, and hotel reimbursements. The incident exposes grid vulnerabilities—public cable maps will be restricted, with plans for enhanced video, sensors, and AI detection. Interior Senator Spranger emphasized secrecy; expert Manuel Atug urges infrastructure redundancies instead.
