Overview
- Power was largely restored by Wednesday after a suspected left-wing arson attack on a cable bridge cut electricity to about 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses, affecting roughly 100,000 people in Berlin’s southwest.
- Kai Wegner confirmed he played tennis for about an hour on the first day of the outage, a detail his office acknowledged after he had initially described spending the day working from home.
- Opposition figures from the Greens, SPD, FDP, AfD and BSW condemned his conduct, with several calling for his resignation over the activity and his earlier account.
- The Berlin CDU parliamentary group expressed broad support for Wegner in a special meeting, and CDU leader Friedrich Merz defended the overall crisis handling.
- Authorities are assessing the Vulkangruppe’s claim of responsibility as investigators examine the attack, and Wegner says a comprehensive review will target gaps in crisis coordination and infrastructure protection.