Germany Offers €1m Reward For Arrest Of Militants Behind Berlin Blackout

Germany’s Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, has announced a one-million-euro ($1.2 million) reward for information leading to the arrest of suspected far-left militants accused of carrying out an arson attack that triggered a massive power blackout in Berlin.

The early January attack forced about 45,000 households and roughly 2,200 businesses in the southwest of the German capital into darkness for nearly a week during the winter period.

Police were pursuing members of the far-left group known as the “Vulkangruppe” (Volcano Group), which claimed responsibility for the blackout in a series of online statements. Authorities have described the messages as “credible”.

Speaking on Tuesday, Dobrindt vowed to “strike back” against those responsible, saying, “I think it’s appropriate to underscore the seriousness of the situation with a reward of this magnitude.”

According to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the Vulkangruppe has been active since 2011 and was believed to be behind several other arson attacks in and around Berlin.

The group has also claimed responsibility for two sabotage attacks targeting electric carmaker Tesla’s factory on the outskirts of the city.

Dobrindt said police would roll out a publicity campaign to encourage tips from the public, including distributing leaflets and placing posters across Berlin’s subway system.

The interior minister, a conservative ally of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, also pledged increased resources to combat what he described as “left-wing extremism”, while calling for expanded police powers, including the use of facial recognition technology and broader digital data collection.