Overview
- Investigators attribute the outage to suspected arson on power cables by left-wing extremists, cutting electricity, heat, internet and mobile service for roughly 100,000 residents from Saturday to Wednesday.
- Power was restored about a day and a half earlier than initially forecast by city authorities, and the criminal investigation remains active.
- dbb chief Volker Geyer warns similar disruptions could hit other German cities and calls for an urgent review of oversight and legal requirements for critical infrastructure operators.
- Geyer contends that privatization has left the state without direct intervention powers over energy, telecoms and other key networks.
- Relief efforts focused on vulnerable residents, with the Bundeswehr distributing meals, and authorities say they will tighten monitoring of critical grid points to reduce the risk of repeat attacks.