Romania Arson Suspects Arrested in Germany Eyed Rail Attacks
(MENAFN) German authorities are holding two Belarusian men on suspicion of conducting sabotage for Russia, including a deliberate fire at a Romanian defense firm, a leading German news weekly reported Wednesday.
Prosecutors allege the pair set fire to a defense company at an industrial park in Brasov, Romania, on Sept. 14, the weekly said.
The suspects allegedly did not stop there. Security sources told the weekly the men were also preparing attacks on German soil, including blazes near a railway line and a power transmission route in the Nuremberg region.
Romania’s intelligence service, known as SRI, concluded the men belonged to a Moscow-controlled espionage and sabotage network, according to the report.
A court in Bucharest has issued European arrest warrants for both men, who have been in custody in Germany for several weeks. Bavaria’s Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism is leading the ongoing investigation.
The arrests come amid a string of suspected sabotage operations across Europe that officials have tied to Russia. Among the most serious in Germany was an Aug. 4 drone attack on a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane at Leipzig airport. The German government openly blamed Moscow for the strike.
Russia has repeatedly denied any role in sabotage or hybrid attacks. It accuses Western governments of leveraging such claims to justify higher military spending and sustained backing for Ukraine.
Prosecutors allege the pair set fire to a defense company at an industrial park in Brasov, Romania, on Sept. 14, the weekly said.
The suspects allegedly did not stop there. Security sources told the weekly the men were also preparing attacks on German soil, including blazes near a railway line and a power transmission route in the Nuremberg region.
Romania’s intelligence service, known as SRI, concluded the men belonged to a Moscow-controlled espionage and sabotage network, according to the report.
A court in Bucharest has issued European arrest warrants for both men, who have been in custody in Germany for several weeks. Bavaria’s Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism is leading the ongoing investigation.
The arrests come amid a string of suspected sabotage operations across Europe that officials have tied to Russia. Among the most serious in Germany was an Aug. 4 drone attack on a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane at Leipzig airport. The German government openly blamed Moscow for the strike.
Russia has repeatedly denied any role in sabotage or hybrid attacks. It accuses Western governments of leveraging such claims to justify higher military spending and sustained backing for Ukraine.
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