Police arrest suspect in Germany power grid attacks after dayslong search

BERLIN (AP) — Police arrested a suspect Tuesday in connection with a series of attacks on power distribution systems across Germany which had led to a massive, dayslong search.

A 48-year-old man was arrested near a power plant in Weisweiler, in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The man, whose name and nationality were not given in line with German privacy rules but has been widely identified by local media as Daniel V., was in possession of explosives and offered no resistance at the time of his arrest, Cologne police said in a statement.

When the first acts of sabotage took place early last week at a substation near the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg in northeastern Germany, and then hours later, a short circuit knocked power lines out of service at the Bergheim power substation near Cologne, top security officials in both states raised alarm and said they couldn't exclude that the attacks were committed by foreign powers.

The incidents took place as the country was on high alert after the government blamed Russia for an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4 using a drone laden with explosives.

However, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Friday that the acts were believed to have been committed by a single activist in connection with climate extremism.

In addition to the first sabotage attacks near Jänschwalde and Bergheim, the man is alleged to have attempted, at several locations in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony, to use homemade rockets to shoot a thin wire across high-voltage power lines, thereby causing a short circuit.

Most recently on Monday police discovered several launch devices on a high-voltage power line near the Weisweiler plant — very close to the spot where police were able to arrest the man. Investigators also found a letter there claiming responsibility — in addition to several other letters they had found at other locations before, German news agency dpa reported.

In the letters, the man justified the attacks on the power grid as part of the fight against fossil fuels. Lignite is still being mined and used to generate electricity in all three of the states where the man allegedly committed or tried to commit attacks on power plants.

Police said Tuesday that near the place where they arrested the man, they also found a tent set up in the underbrush nearby, which contained additional explosive charges.

The items are currently being examined by a bomb disposal expert from the North Rhine-Westphalia State Criminal Police Office.

An arrest warrant had been issued earlier for the 48-year-old by the Cottbus Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Officers were at the scene in Weisweiler Tuesday to secure evidence and check whether any additional, as yet undiscovered, detonation devices have been set up in the surrounding area, police said.

Water vapor rises from the cooling towers at the Jänschwalde power plant in Turnow-Preilack, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa via AP)

A police unit of 100 officers is conducting a large-scale search of the area surrounding the act of sabotage against the power grid in southern Brandenburg, near Turnow-Preilack, Germany, as police on the scene are continuing to search for clues to identify the perpetrators. (Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa via AP)

A police vehicle is blocking a road leading to the Jänschwalde power plant in Turnow-Preilack, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Michael Ukas/dpa via AP)

Federal Police officers search for a suspect in Hambach Forest in the area of a truck parked in Niederzier, Germany, on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in connection with several acts of sabotage against the German power grid. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)

PARIS (AP) — The Eiffel Tower reopened Tuesday, a day after one of the world's most-visited landmarks was closed by a strike to protest what a union official called “unacceptable” management instructions limiting the presence of women during a visit by a Hindu delegation on Saturday.

Diane Davoine of the CGT union told The Associated Press anger grew among staff of the iconic 330-meter (1,083-foot) tower over the weekend after management told employees that female workers should ″not be in contact″ with a visiting delegation from Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.

The group, known as BAPS, is a worldwide religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan sect, a branch of Hinduism. It has been holding celebrations to mark the inauguration of a traditional Hindu stone temple in the French capital.

In a written statement emailed to the AP on Tuesday, the group said it coordinated with the Eiffel Tower's management to minimize disruption to staff and visitors ahead of a visit by a delegation of some 100 people.

The coordination was “never, at any point, intended as a request rooted in gender, and any suggestion to the contrary does not reflect the spirit or values of our fellowship or the delegation,” the statement said.

BAPS said it “remains firmly committed to the principles of equality, mutual respect, and service to all, regardless of gender, background, or belief — values that lie at the very heart of our tradition’s teachings and community work worldwide.”

In an earlier statement, the group offered “sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation.”

The company that operates the Eiffel Tower did not immediately comment. The 137-year-old tower is visited by some 7 million people each year.

Davoine said the tower often hosts special delegations, including U.S. President Donald Trump, visiting royals and celebrities like Britney Spears, and staff are happy to adapt. But she said the instructions Saturday were exceptional, and ″unacceptable.″

In a message on X, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said he would launch an investigation.

“Gender equality will never stop at the foot of our historic monuments, or anywhere else in this city,” he said. “It must apply everywhere and to everyone. I will ensure that it does — everywhere, without exception.”

It was not the first time the tower has been closed by industrial action. It was shut for six days in February 2024 because of striking employees demanding better maintenance of the historic landmark, and higher wages.

Tourists walk past the Eiffel Tower after it reopened following a one-day strike over restrictions on women during a visit by a Hindu delegation, in Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Tourists walk past the Eiffel Tower after it reopened following a one-day strike over restrictions on women during a visit by a Hindu delegation, in Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The Eiffel Tower reopens following a one-day strike over restrictions on women during a visit by a Hindu delegation, in Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)