Germany news: Police receive tips over Berlin grid sabotage

02/07/2026 February 7, 2026 Berlin arson probe draws wave of tips

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt says investigators have been receiving a large number of tips since authorities offered a reward over a suspected far-left arson attack on Berlin’s power grid.

Dobrindt told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that the Federal Criminal Police Office, known as the BKA, is now following up on the information, adding that it is still too early to say whether any lead will prove decisive.

A reward of up to €1 million ($1.18 million) has been offered for information provided by February 24 that helps solve the attack, with Dobrindt stressing that payments will be made only for valid tips that lead directly to the arrest of the perpetrator or perpetrators.

He said officials believe there are differing views within the far-left extremist scene about the success of the attack, which left thousands of Berlin residents without electricity and heating for days during freezing temperatures, and suggested this could prompt insider information.

The minister said rewards are time-limited to ensure crimes are not left unresolved and that potential accomplices do not have months to decide whether to come forward.

“We believe that there are very different assessments within the left-wing extremist scene about the success of the attack, which left thousands of Berliners without electricity and heating for days in sub-zero temperatures,” he added.

“That’s why I can well imagine that clues about the perpetrators could come from this scene.”

In a public appeal, the BKA and federal prosecutors have asked for information about the arson attack on January 3, which damaged several high-voltage cables and caused power outages for about 45,000 households in southwest Berlin.

Source: RhinoEasy News