Potential breach detected at military site of NATO member

The German authorities have sounded the alarm over possible sabotage at a barracks near Munich after similar suspicious incidents

The German military has discovered signs of a possible break-in at a barracks in the southern part of the country, the latest in a series of suspicious incidents at army facilities in recent weeks, according to local media. In some cases, it was feared that the water supply had been deliberately contaminated.

A gaping hole was found in the barracks fence at the Christoph Probst Barracks in the Bavarian town of Garching near Munich during a routine inspection on Thursday, Bild reported, citing a spokesman for the armed forces. The facility also houses the Central Institute of the Medical Service and a military hospital.

The spokesman added that there was no evidence anyone had accessed the buildings on the facility’s grounds.

The authorities also found no connection to the potential sabotage of the drinking water supply at the air force barracks near Cologne earlier this week, adding that the water at the facility was safe. At the time, the military said the water supply at the Cologne base had been “interrupted because the drinking water system showed unusual values.”

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As in Garching, the alarm was raised after a guard found a hole in the fence near the water plant on the barracks grounds. An immediate search for intruders was unsuccessful. After an investigation, the authorities confirmed that the water was safe to drink.

A similar suspicious incident also occurred on Tuesday at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen in the western part of the country, which hosts a number of reconnaissance aircraft. A NATO spokesman told Bild that the security at the facility stopped a man who attempted to illegally enter the base, adding that the fence was not damaged. Given that the attempted trespassing came after the Cologne incident, the authorities checked the water supply at Geilenkirchen, but no abnormalities were found.

On Thursday, a breach in the fence surrounding the central drinking water supply of the city of Mechernich, western Germany, was also discovered. An investigation showed that the water was not contaminated, although the incident led to thousands of residents being advised not to use the water, even for showers, while the probe was ongoing.