In brief
German police and intelligence services uncovered a small weapons cache in a forest near Berlin last August. The stash, comprising two handguns and ammunition, is suspected to be part of a Russian‑operated assassination plan. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt confirmed that federal prosecutors are probing a Romanian suspect possibly tied to parcel bomb attacks, while warning that foreign powers could be involved. The investigation follows prior security alerts about Moscow planning targeted killings on German soil. The case highlights the heightened threat level Germany faces from covert foreign threats.
German police probe Russian‑linked weapons cache near Berlin
German intelligence says the guns found last year in a forest outside Berlin may have been prepared for assassinations on behalf of Russia.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that prosecutors are investigating a suspect in Romania over alleged spying and a “preparation of a serious act of violence threatening the state.” He declined to confirm Russian links but said foreign involvement could not be ruled out.
Security agencies have warned that Russian intelligence has plotted targeted killings in Germany, notably of defence industry executives and opposition figures in exile.
The cache, found in October with the help of the Berlin State police, contained two handguns and ammunition. German officials suspect the weapons were provisioned for future attacks, and after disabling them, the site was policed for months without any suspicious activity.
Dobrindt also noted prosecutors are reviewing a suspect in Romania who may have been a low‑level agent involved in planned parcel bomb attacks. He acknowledged other such operatives have been detained this year, including one from Kazakhstan.
The investigation follows earlier accusations of Russian attacks on German soil, such as the 2024 CNN report alleging a plot to kill the head of Rheinmetall’s biggest defence company and the 2021 case of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian national jailed for a Berlin park murder under Moscow orders and later freed in a prisoner swap.
For more context, see German shock at reported Russian assassination plot and the 2021 court conviction of a Russian spy.
