German army base on lockdown over sabotage suspicion

FRANKFURT, Germany: A German military base was sealed off Wednesday as authorities investigate suspected sabotage, the defence ministry said, with media reports saying the water supply may have been tampered with.

The Cologne-Wahn base “has been locked down because there is a suspicion of an attempted intrusion and a suspicion of sabotage,” defence ministry spokesman Colonel Arne Collatz told reporters in Berlin.

Der Spiegel magazine reported that police and the German military´s counter-intelligence service were investigating an apparent break-in, with its sources saying a hole in the fence had been discovered.

Soldiers and civilians on the Bundeswehr base have been advised not to drink the tap water, Spiegel added, over concerns that the water supply “may be contaminated”.