Feb 3, 2026, 2:31 p.mFeb 3, 2026, 2:31 p.m
Arrest warrants have been executed against two men on suspicion of attempted sabotage on a ship intended for the German Navy. The arrests took place in Hamburg, northern Germany, and in Greece.
This was announced by the Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office. The suspects are a 37-year-old Romanian and a 54-year-old Greek.
According to the information, the defendants’ apartments in Hamburg, Romania and Greece were also searched. In addition to the European judicial authority Eurojust in The Hague, the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office and Greek and Romanian law enforcement authorities were also involved.
The two suspects are said to have carried out acts of sabotage on several corvettes while working in the port of Hamburg last year. The ships were therefore located in a shipyard and were intended for the Federal Navy.
Significant damage feared
They are said to have, partly acting alone and partly in concert, put over 20 kilograms of blasting gravel into the engine block of one of the ships, punctured fresh water supply pipes, removed tank caps from fuel tanks and deactivated fuse switches on the ship’s electronics.
If the respective acts of sabotage had remained undetected, they would have led to significant damage to the ships or at least to their delayed departure, thereby endangering the security of the Federal Republic of Germany and the effectiveness of the troops, it said.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the evaluation of the seized evidence is ongoing. In the course of the investigation, the question of possible clients of the accused will also be examined.
Events on the corvette “Emden” are the subject of the investigation
The Navy inspector, Jan Christian Kaack, reported in February last year that saboteurs had caused targeted damage to warships in Germany in more than one case.
There is “destruction, i.e. sabotage, on more than one unit,” said the vice admiral at the “Navy Talks” in Berlin. Appropriate measures were taken in the shipyards. WDR, NDR and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported at the time that the corvette “Emden,” which was built by the Hamburg shipyard Blohm+Voss but was not initially delivered to the Navy, was a sabotage target.
A spokeswoman for the public prosecutor’s office told the dpa that the events on the “Emden” were the subject of the investigation, but the arrest warrant related to an alleged act on another ship. (sda/dpa)