On 22 August 2026 German security forces discovered an arms cache in a forest near Berlin, containing two pistols and ammunition allegedly supplied by Russian intelligence. The police disabled the two handguns but left them intact at the site and set up surveillance of the location.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said authorities were in contact with Romanian counterparts to clarify the suspect’s potential extradition. The suspect, arrested in Romania last year, is under investigation for espionage and planning attacks that could endanger the state. Dobrindt noted that the investigation is not yet conclusive and that authorities cannot rule out foreign powers’ involvement. The suspect is described as a “low-level agent” allegedly unaware of the higher command structure. Other operatives, including a Kazakh citizen, were also detained, reportedly uninformed about the network.
Dobrindt did not disclose the suspect’s identity but said he was being held in connection with planned parcel-bomb attacks in Romania. Investigators have monitored the cache since its discovery, but no one approached the site. It is presumed that the perpetrators knew the police had found the weapons and avoided the location.
Regarding Russia’s possible involvement, Dobrindt declined to confirm or deny. He noted that Germany is a daily target of hybrid warfare and that espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, or covert operations by foreign powers are a constant reality. These remarks followed the discovery of a drone laden with explosives at Leipzig Airport, in which U.S. Intelligence suspected Russian involvement. The Russian embassy in Berlin called the allegations a “hasty fabrication” and a “new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany.”
Investigations continue as authorities determine what measures can be taken against the suspect. The police keep the cache under surveillance to prevent further activity.
