The State Prosecutor’s Office in Rostock has launched an investigation into the discovery of damage to a mine-hunting boat of the German Navy, following a suspected act of sabotage.
A spokesperson for the authorities confirmed to the Spiegel that an investigation is underway into the suspected sabotage of defense equipment. Due to the ongoing investigation and the sensitive background of the incident, the authorities declined to provide further details.
According to the Spiegel, several cut cable trunks were discovered last year during the boat’s stay at the Tamsen shipyard in Rostock, located behind exterior panels of the warship. A attempted cable theft is ruled out by experts, leading to the suspicion of sabotage. The shipyard in Rostock regularly overhauls warships of the German Navy and the Federal Police.
This incident in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is reportedly the second suspected act of sabotage at the German Navy in a short period of time. Recently, it was reported that unknown individuals had attempted to severely damage the newly completed corvette Emden by inserting dozens of kilograms of metal shavings into the ship’s propulsion system.