A German military base adjacent to Cologne airport has been sealed off, and thousands of soldiers stationed there have been advised to avoid drinking tap water as authorities investigate a potential act of sabotage, according to a security source on Wednesday.
The source added that the water supply at the base, which houses 4,300 soldiers and 1,200 civilian employees, might have been contaminated after an unauthorized entry into the premises, corroborating a report by Spiegel magazine.
The recommendation against consuming tap water was issued as a precautionary measure while police, military police, and the military intelligence agency conducted an investigation into suspected sabotage targeting the German forces, the source explained.
The Cologne-Wahn base is the location of the military aircraft fleet used by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ministers for travel. A spokesperson for the Territorial Command in Berlin confirmed the base's lockdown but chose not to provide further details, stating, "We have our reasons for taking this action, and we take the case seriously."
The military intelligence agency did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Local police in Cologne also declined to comment. NATO has previously issued warnings about a series of hostile activities orchestrated by Moscow, including sabotage and cyberattacks, although there was no immediate indication of who might have illegally accessed the Cologne base.
In June, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg noted that the Western military alliance observed a developing pattern of attacks, attributing recent incidents to increased activity by Russian intelligence. Several countries, including Poland, Germany, Britain, and the Czech Republic, have reported similar incidents in the past months.
