German authorities have issued a €1 million ($1.1 million) reward for tip-offs leading to the arrest of those responsible for an attack on electricity infrastructure in Berlin that left tens of thousands without power for days.
Berlin Senator for Interior Affairs Iris Spranger said the sum had been offered by “the federal government,” describing the amount as “unique.”
“We are talking about terrorism here,” Spranger told the interior committee of Berlin’s state parliament.
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Some 45,000 households in south-western Berlin were cut off from electricity and heating during sub-zero temperatures following an arson attack on high-voltage cables at the start of the year in what would turn into the longest power outage in the city since World War II.
It took more than four days to reconnect all residents back to the grid. The attack also sparked a debate about better protection of key infrastructure, as well as the city’s crisis response.
Authorities believe a group of left-wing militants was behind the attack, but no suspects have been arrested so far.