German military base on lockdown after suspected sabotage

Germany's Cologne-Wahn military base has been sealed off after a suspected act of sabotage against its water supply, news outlets reported Wednesday.

The base near Cologne-Bonn airport employs 4,300 soldiers and 1,200 civilians and is also home to a fleet of military aircraft used by Chancellor Olaf Scholz for international travel.

According to news magazine Der Spiegel, authorities told employees at the base not to drink the tap water, as they believed it had been contaminated. They also found damage to a fence at the edge of the property.

Police, military police, and the military intelligence agency MAD are all looking into the alleged crime, Spiegel said.

Police cordoned off a large area and it was no longer permitted to enter or leave the barracks.

"We have our reasons for taking this action, and we take the case seriously," a spokesperson for the Territorial Command in Berlin was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. 

Security levels raised at NATO air base in Geilenkirchen

Security levels at a NATO air base in the town of Geilenkirchen, also in the same state as Cologne, were raised following the incident in Cologne.

"The base (in Geilenkirchen) was at no time sealed off. We checked the water, it is okay, and the base is accessible," a NATO spokesperson in Geilenkirchen was quoted by Reuters as saying later Wednesday.

A German military spokesperson had previously said that the base in Geilenkirchen had been sealed off. 

Increasing attacks by Russian intelligence

It could not be immediately confirmed who had carried out the sabotage, but NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had recently warned that a pattern was evolving of Russian intelligence becoming more bold in its operations against member states. This went for cyberattacks as well as field operations.

Poland, the UK, and the Czech Republic have reported similar incidents in the past months.

rm, es/nm (dpa, Reuters)