German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in an interview with the Sunday edition of the newspaper "Bild" that he would strengthen measures against left-wing extremists after the attack on the power grid in Berlin, including "through a package of stricter tracking measures," DPA reported.
"We are striking back and will not leave any room for left-wing and climate extremists," the minister told the newspaper. Security is a top priority, he added, quoted by BTA.
Dobrindt said that the package of measures he envisages requires not only more personnel for the intelligence services, but above all an expansion of their powers in the digital sphere, in order to shed more light on the situation and to track traces on the Internet more quickly. The minister did not provide further details.
Around 100,000 people in southwest Berlin were left without electricity last week in the middle of winter in sub-zero temperatures after arson of high-voltage cables caused a large-scale power outage.
The far-left extremist organization – Vulkangruppe– claimed responsibility for the arson. It is believed to have carried out multiple arson attacks on public infrastructure since 2011, mainly in Berlin and Brandenburg. The federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe has taken over the investigation.