Power outage over Berlin: Politically motivated arson shakes the city!

Power outage over Berlin: Politically motivated arson shakes the city!

Early in the morning of September 9, 2025, at 3:30 a.m. to be precise, a fire was discovered on two high-voltage pylons in southeast Berlin, which led to a massive power outage. Loud daily news Around 50,000 households and businesses in the districts of Niederschöneweide, Köpenick, Grünau, Johannisthal, Adlershof, Bohnsdorf and Altglienicke are now without electricity. Local public transport has also been significantly affected: some S-Bahn trains and trams have broken down, traffic lights did not work, which led to chaotic traffic conditions.

The fire department struggled to put out the fire for an hour because an accelerant such as gasoline was probably used. So far, around 15,000 of the affected households have electricity again.( DW ) The repair work is expected to last until Wednesday as the technical work cannot begin until the police investigation has been completed.

Cooperation with the police

The police have taken over the investigation and are assuming politically motivated arson. Their suspicion is particularly directed at a group that has described itself as anarchist. This published a letter of responsibility on the platform Indymedia, in which she describes the attack as a response to the “military-industrial complex.” This group names specific companies with connections to the military and defense industry, including well-known names such as Siemens and Trumpf.

The State Security Office of the State Criminal Police Office has also become involved in the investigation, as previous attacks with a similar motive have already been carried out on critical infrastructure in the city. Martin Debusmann, chairman of the Competence Center for Critical Infrastructures, warned in an article that there are systemic vulnerabilities in Berlin that urgently need to be remedied.

Public facilities affected

The extent of the power outage also had an impact on the emergency numbers 110 and 112, which were temporarily unavailable in certain areas. The fire department and police have set up mobile contact points to offer support and information to residents. It is important that citizens have good information flows in this tense situation.

However, compared to a similar incident in 2019, which left 30,000 households without power for over 30 hours, the current scale is even more serious. The S-Bahn lines S8, S85, S9, S45, S46 and S47 were also affected, while tram lines were also interrupted. Despite the shocking events, the hope is that the repair teams will soon provide light again in the dark living spaces and streets of Berlin.