Healthy processed event from Hybrid War Tracker
Headline: Attempted Sabotage of German Navy Ships: Two Men Arrested
Short Summary: On February 3, 2026, German authorities announced the arrest of two men suspected of attempting to sabotage German Navy ships in the Hamburg harbor. The suspects, a 37-year-old Romanian and a 54-year-old Greek, allegedly worked in the harbor and reportedly filled a ship's motor block with about 20 kilograms of radioactive pellets, damaged freshwater pipes, and disabled circuit breakers. The sabotage attempts were detected in time, preventing damage to the ships and avoiding danger to the Federal Republic of Germany. Investigations included searches of residences in Hamburg, Greece, and Romania and involved European law enforcement agencies such as Europol and Eurojust. Officials suspect the men acted as low-level agents for a foreign Auftraggeber. Intelligence agencies had recently warned of potential sabotage threats from Russia targeting German military institutions, with prior cases reported in February 2025. The affected ships are the corvettes 'Köln' and 'Ermsel'—modern classes of German Navy vessels built by Blohm+Voss shipyard, which confirmed a police operation and stated cooperation with authorities.
Extended Summary: On February 3, 2026, German authorities announced the arrest of two men suspected of attempting to sabotage German Navy ships in the Hamburg harbor. The suspects, a 37-year-old Romanian and a 54-year-old Greek, allegedly worked in the harbor and reportedly filled a ship's motor block with about 20 kilograms of radioactive pellets, damaged freshwater pipes, and disabled circuit breakers. The sabotage attempts were detected in time, preventing damage to the ships and avoiding danger to the Federal Republic of Germany. Investigations included searches of residences in Hamburg, Greece, and Romania and involved European law enforcement agencies such as Europol and Eurojust. Officials suspect the men acted as low-level agents for a foreign Auftraggeber. Intelligence agencies had recently warned of potential sabotage threats from Russia targeting German military institutions, with prior cases reported in February 2025. The affected ships are the corvettes 'Köln' and 'Ermsel'—modern classes of German Navy vessels built by Blohm+Voss shipyard, which confirmed a police operation and stated cooperation with authorities.
German investigators arrested two men, a Romanian and a Greek, suspected of attempting sabotage of German Navy ships in Hamburg harbor. The suspects filled motor blocks with 20 kg of radioactive pellets, damaged freshwater pipes, and disabled circuit breakers on ships moored at the shipyard. The discovery prevented significant damage and danger. Searches were also conducted in Hamburg, Greece, and Romania involving European law enforcement. Intelligence warnings had recently indicated increased sabotage threats from Russia against German military targets. The ships involved are the corvettes 'Köln' and 'Ermsel', built by Blohm+Voss. The shipyard confirmed a coordinated police action and cooperation with authorities.
Classified as aggressor event because it describes an attempted sabotage of German naval vessels—an act of hostile sabotage directed against critical military assets. Classified as defense preparation because German authorities and European agencies promptly responded with arrests, extensive cross-border investigations, and public warnings, indicating active defense and counteraction measures.
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