A massive blackout that crippled southeast Berlin has been linked to a radical leftist group that confessed to sabotaging key infrastructure. The group claimed responsibility for setting fires at the base of two high-voltage pylons, causing a power outage that left 50,000 homes and thousands of businesses without electricity for over 60 hours.
The power disruption began early Tuesday and marked Berlin’s longest blackout since World War II. The outage overwhelmed backup systems, leading to a breakdown in emergency services, public transport, and communication networks. Emergency phone lines went down, traffic lights failed, and trams had to be towed from intersections. Temporary power has since been restored, but officials estimate full repairs won’t be completed until 2026.
Authorities have confirmed the attack was intentional. Investigators say the fires were set in precisely the right locations to cause maximum disruption, suggesting insider knowledge. The perpetrators, calling themselves “Some Anarchists,” posted a manifesto justifying the attack as a strike against what they described as a “fascist technocracy” and Germany’s “capitalist death machine.”
The primary target was WISTA, a science and technology park home to hundreds of advanced research and defense companies, dubbed “Germany’s Silicon Valley.” The attackers claimed the park’s operations sustain the political and economic system they oppose. Though they admitted that residents suffered as a result, they dismissed this as justifiable collateral damage.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner condemned the attack, saying, “Elderly people, families with children were left without essentials because some extremists value ideology over human life.”
The sabotage highlights growing concern over left-wing extremist networks in Europe. Similar attacks targeting railways, internet infrastructure, and power systems have occurred across Germany, France, and Italy in recent years. Police are investigating possible links between this latest act and a known extremist cell in Bavaria.
Despite the severe consequences of these attacks, few arrests have been made, and many perpetrators operate with apparent impunity. The Berlin attack has renewed calls for a more aggressive crackdown on domestic extremism and the protection of critical infrastructure.
