Investigators are looking into suspected unauthorized access and possible alterations to the water source at a major air force barracks in western Germany, the government said Wednesday.
Defense Ministry spokesman Arne Collatz said there were suspicions of attempted illegal entry or sabotage at the Wahn barracks on the outskirts of Cologne.
A hole was discovered overnight in the fence of the facility, near the hydroelectric plant, and the government cannot rule out possible contamination, according to army spokesman Ulrich Fonrobert. The land, but none was discovered and the gates were reopened Wednesday at noon.
Speaking outdoors at the barracks, Fonrobert said the alarm was triggered by a report of “abnormal water values,” of which he did not give details. An assessment of the facility’s drinking water is still underway.
As far as the authorities know, no one has been sickened by any conceivable contamination. Fonrobert said one user reported health problems with an abdominal illness, but that occurred early Tuesday morning and was not similar to the water supply.
“We have our reasons for taking this step and we take this matter seriously,” a spokesman for Berlin’s Territorial Command told Reuters.
Der Spiegel magazine reported that German police and military counterintelligence were investigating the apparent theft.
At the Cologne-Wahn base near Cologne-Bonn Airport, there are several military and civilian facilities of the German army, as well as aircraft used by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ministers on government trips.
According to Spiegel, between 4,300 and 1,200 civilians paint there.
The base is also an important hub for military support for Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers regularly fly home from there, via Poland, after receiving training in Germany, Spiegel added.
AFP contributed to this report.