Berlin received tip from US spy agency in the summer.
According to a report by German magazine Der Spiegel, the CIA warned Berlin about a potential attack on gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea “weeks ago.”
Citing “several people familiar with the matter,” the publication reports that a tip from the US spy agency was “received in Berlin during the summer.”
As we highlighted yesterday, Germany’s initial response to the incident was that it was likely to be a “targeted attack” carried out by either Russia or Ukraine.
German investigators concluded that attack had to be deliberate because it would have been carried out by special forces, navy divers or a submarine which were able to reach the bottom of the sea and place mines or explosives.
Although not ruling out that the attack could have been a Russian “false flag,” the only perceived motive would have been to “blame other parties for the incident,” Der Spiegel reported, while acknowledging that a “permanent interruption of gas supplies from Russia” would be in Ukraine’s interest.”
CIA warned Germany weeks ago of coming attack on natural gas pipelines Nord Stream I & II (from Russia to Germany), reports Der Spiegel.
Russia could have pulled off such an attack but “It is difficult to see whether Russia or Ukraine could have an interest in such an incident” pic.twitter.com/7jZWvYdhgI
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) September 27, 2022
Ukraine has inevitably blamed Russia, although why Moscow would sabotage two pipelines that weren’t even transporting gas to Europe remains a mystery.
Others have suggested the U.S. is to blame, including former Polish Defense Minister, Radek Sikorski, who appeared to thanks Washington for carrying out the attack in a tweet.