The police have arrested two suspected spies in Bayreuth who are said to have planned sabotage operations in Germany on behalf of Russia. The two German-Russian nationals are strongly suspected of having worked for a foreign secret service in a particularly serious case. said the Federal Prosecutor General at the Federal Court of Justice.
Germany is apparently facing a new espionage affair. The two detainees are said to have scouted transport routes on behalf of Russia and advised on possible sabotage operations. According to the Federal Prosecutor General, the 39-year-old accused Dieter S. is said to have agreed to carry out explosives and arson attacks, especially on infrastructure used by the military and industrial sites in Germany. In preparation, the main suspect is said to have collected information about potential attack targets, including US military facilities. From March at the latest, the second accused, Alexander J., also helped him.
According to investigators, the main suspect scouted out some of the targeted objects himself. He is said to have taken photos and videos, for example of military transport and goods. The Federal Prosecutor General also accuses him of acting as an agent for sabotage purposes and of depicting military installations in a way that endangers security.
The investigators say that the actions were intended in particular to undermine the military support provided by Germany to Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression. The investigation was carried out by the Federal Criminal Police Office. The two accused were arrested in Bayreuth on Wednesday. In addition, their homes and workplaces were searched with the support of the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office. The main accused, Dieter S., was brought before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice on the same day, the Federal Prosecutor General said.
According to the investigators’ findings, the espionage operation apparently had a long history. Since October 2023, the main suspect has been exchanging ideas with a person connected to the Russian secret service about possible sabotage actions in the Federal Republic of Germany.
One of the objects spied on was said to be a US Army facility in Grafenwöhr, Bavaria, reports Mirror. There is, among other things, an important military training area where the US Army trains Ukrainian soldiers Abrams-main battle tanks.