German authorities are investigating two separate incidents involving critical infrastructure after an explosion at a railway station in Augsburg injured two people and a suspected sabotage attack targeted an electricity substation near Bergheim.
An unknown object exploded at a railway station in the southern German city of Augsburg on Wednesday, leaving two people with minor injuries, police said.
Bavarian state police said the explosion occurred in a passageway inside a station building. Authorities have not yet provided details about the object involved or the possible motive behind the incident.
Augsburg is an important regional transport hub located around 55 kilometres northwest of Munich.
In a separate incident, German police said they were investigating a suspected deliberate attack on an electricity substation near the western city of Bergheim that happened on 1 September afternoon.
A police spokesperson said the incident involved premeditated damage to technical infrastructure at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Despite the damage, electricity supplies in the region were not disrupted.
Police did not provide further details about the extent of the damage.
Grid operator Amprion said external interference was likely responsible for the incident but stressed that electricity supplies and grid stability were maintained throughout.
German energy company RWE said the incident led it to temporarily disconnect lignite-fired power plant units with a combined capacity of 4,200 megawatts.
The affected units at the Neurath and Niederaussem power stations are expected to reconnect to the grid over the coming days.
RWE said it remained in close contact with the authorities and Amprion.
The Bergheim case came on the same day that devices containing conductive material damaged power lines in the eastern state of Brandenburg.
German authorities have been on heightened alert over potential attacks on critical infrastructure following several previous incidents involving energy, transport and communications networks.
Germany has previously experienced attacks on electricity infrastructure, including incidents attributed to suspected left-wing militants.
The investigations into the Augsburg explosion and the suspected attacks on Germany's electricity network are continuing.
The latest incidents come amid broader security concerns in Germany.
Berlin on Tuesday accused Russia of being behind an attempted drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month and announced a series of measures in response.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Wednesday that the European Union will work on imposing further sanctions on Russian individuals in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, France is summoning an official from the Russian embassy in Paris over an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday.
"I have summoned the Russian charge d'affaires in Paris to protest," said Barrot at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland, adding sanctions must also be taken at a European level notably against Russia's shadow fleet.
However, Russia has denied responsibility of the allegations, calling them "absurd and baseless."
The Russian Embassy in Berlin labelled Germany's retaliatory measures - such as closing a Russian consulate - as an "unprecedented escalation" in bilateral relations.
The ambassador warned that the move will not remain without consequences, for which Germany will bear full responsibility.
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