Half a Year After Berlin Power Grid Attack, Investigation Stalls Despite €1 Million Reward

The attack

On 3 January 2026, a fire was set on a cable bridge in southwest Berlin, cutting power to around 100,000 people in 45,000 households and over 2,000 businesses. The outage, which lasted until 7 January for some, was the longest in German post‑war history. Many residents were left without heating during freezing temperatures.

The investigation

The Federal Prosecutor (Bundesanwaltschaft) took over the case on the same day, treating it as a left‑wing extremist arson. A reward of one million euros was offered, but the deadline passed at the end of February with no apparent success. Authorities say they received a three‑figure number of tips, many of which proved unusable.

Germany's infrastructure offers a broad attack surface where considerable damage can be done with relatively little effort. Moreover, the perpetrators act conspiratorially and their actions leave few traces.

The suspected group

The attack is attributed to so‑called “volcano groups” (Vulkangruppen). The Prosecutor General has expressed uncertainty about whether the term refers to a fixed organisation or a loose label under which different cells carry out isolated acts of sabotage.

So far we cannot say definitively whether it is a clearly defined group or a kind of label under which different volcano groups come together for individual actions.

What comes next

Half a year on, the investigation remains open and no arrests have been reported. The Bundesanwaltschaft has declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing nature of the probe.