Germany Investigates Foreign Plot After Berlin Weapons Cache Discovery

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the discovery of a hidden weapons cache on the outskirts of Berlin, signaling a high-level threat of hybrid attacks. The cache, found in October of the previous year in a forest, contained two handguns and ammunition. Security services rendered the firearms inoperable and tagged them with GPS chips to monitor the site, though no one attempted to retrieve the weapons.

The federal prosecutor is currently investigating an unnamed man detained in a Romanian jail for unrelated matters. Authorities believe the suspect likely planned an attack and are investigating him for possible foreign agent activity and preparation of a serious crime endangering the state. While Dobrindt declined to explicitly confirm media reports linking the cache to Russian intelligence, he noted that investigators have not ruled out the involvement of foreign powers.

This investigation follows a pattern of security incidents, including the discovery of an explosive-laden drone near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle Airport and the sabotage of a Polish railway. Additionally, German and U.S. security services previously foiled a plot to assassinate the CEO of Rheinmetall AG. Reports from Sueddeutsche Zeitung, NDR, and WDR suggest the Berlin cache was intended for kinetic operations, including assassinations.