German police released bodycam footage showing the arrest of Daniel V., a suspected power saboteur, near the Weisweiler power station outside Aachen on Tuesday. The video captures armed officers drawing their weapons and handcuffing Daniel V. as he lies face down. Investigators in North Rhine-Westphalia found over 40 devices intended to cause short circuits at substations, along with a notebook listing more than 150 potential sabotage targets. Police Minister Herbert Reul suggested that the arrest may have prevented further attacks and is considering whether Daniel V. acted alone or on behalf of a foreign power, though no evidence supports the latter theory currently.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Police in North Rhine-Westphalia have released bodycam footage showing the arrest of alleged power saboteur Daniel V., with officers drawing their weapons as new details emerge in the case.
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details → release → case
Police in Cologne have released bodycam footage showing the arrest of suspected power saboteur Daniel V.
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Police → release → V.
The footage, recorded by an officer's bodycam, shows Daniel V. lying face down on the ground as armed officers approach him with their weapons drawn.
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weapons → record → him
They then handcuff him and escort him to a patrol car.
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They → handcuff → car
The video also shows a tent where Daniel V. is believed to have been sleeping.
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V. → show → tent
Meanwhile, further details about the investigation are emerging.
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details → emerge → investigation
North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) told the state parliament's internal affairs committee that investigators have identified additional possible crime scenes.
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investigators → tell → scenes
These are reportedly located not only in North Rhine-Westphalia but also in other German states and neighbouring countries.
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These → locate → states
According to Reul, investigators in North Rhine-Westphalia alone have so far discovered more than 40 devices capable of firing conductive material at power lines near substations.
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investigators → accord → substations
Investigators believe the devices may have been intended to cause short circuits and trigger power outages.
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devices → believe → outages
Investigators reportedly gained further leads from a vehicle seized from the suspect.
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Investigators → gain → suspect
According to Reul, officers found a notebook containing handwritten notes about more than 150 potential sabotage targets.
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officers → accord → targets
The locations were subsequently checked.
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locations → check → ?
Following his arrest, Daniel V. is also said to have identified seven sites where he had allegedly established depots.
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he → follow → depots
“We have not only caught the suspected perpetrator of the attacks, but may thereby have prevented a whole series of further attacks,” Reul said.
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Reul → catch → attacks
Police arrested the 48-year-old, who had been the subject of a days-long search, on Tuesday.
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who → arrest → Tuesday
According to the dpa news agency, he was apprehended near the Weisweiler power station outside Aachen.
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he → accord → Aachen
The newspaper Welt reported that the arrest took place during a traffic stop.
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arrest → report → stop
What is known so far
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known → know → ?
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office has taken over the investigation, citing the case’s particular significance.
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Office → take → significance
According to a spokeswoman, investigators are examining, among other allegations, whether the suspect targeted the constitutional order through acts of sabotage.
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suspect → accord → sabotage
Given the large number of devices discovered, investigators are also looking into whether Daniel V. could have carried out the alleged acts alone.
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V. → give → acts
Reul told the committee that authorities were also considering the possibility that the suspect may have been acting on behalf of a foreign power.
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suspect → tell → power
However, the minister stressed that there is currently no evidence to support this theory.
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minister → stress → theory
“The investigation is continuing at full speed,” Reul said.
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Reul → continue → speed
The minister also provided further details about documents found in the seized vehicle.
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minister → provide → vehicle
According to the information provided by Reul, the notebook contains references to more than 160 known or potential additional sabotage targets.
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notebook → accord → targets
The locations listed in the notebook have since been checked by investigators.
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locations → list → investigators
In recent days, investigators have been dealing with several suspected acts of sabotage targeting power infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg.
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investigators → deal → Westphalia
Among other methods, improvised rockets were reportedly used to fire conductive material at high-voltage power lines.
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rockets → improvise → lines
The incidents did not result in any major power outages.
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incidents → result → outages
In several letters claiming responsibility, an unknown author said they were behind incidents at various power plant sites in both states.
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they → claim → states
However, Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) urged caution against drawing premature conclusions, describing both the alleged method of attack and the confession letter as unusual.
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Minister → urge → attack
