Hamburg Harbour sabotage: Suspects allegedly disabled German Navy corvettes

Two men, a 37-year-old Romanian and a 54-year-old Greek, were arrested by the Hamburg Public Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of attempted sabotage against German Navy corvettes in Hamburg harbour during last year. The suspects allegedly conducted sabotage acts on multiple corvettes docked at the Blohm+Voss shipyard, causing serious damage including over 20 kilograms of strychnine found in a ship's engine room, destruction of fresh water lines, removal of fuel tank valves, and disabling of ship electronics. Investigations also consider if the acts endangered the safety of the Bundeswehr and posed a threat to deployed troops. Police raids were coordinated across Hamburg, Romania, and Greece involving European justice authorities. German military intelligence warned recently of increased Russian espionage and sabotage activities targeting German institutions. The probe focuses on the corvette 'Emden' where sabotage incidents reportedly took place. The Navy Inspector Jan Christian Kaack confirmed previous reports of such sabotage acts against German warships. Police conducted coordinated raids on Tuesday at the Blohm+Voss yards and elsewhere. The affected vessels, including the 'Köln' and 'Emden', are among five Braunschweig-class corvettes with a combined value of around 2 billion euros. The incidents also included contamination of a ship's potable water system. The investigation remains open regarding the exact motive, extent of damage, and possible involvement of foreign agents.