Germany Investigates Arms Cache Linked to Foreign Powers Near Berlin

German authorities are investigating an arms cache containing handguns discovered in a forest near Berlin last year, which they suspect was intended for assassinations on behalf of foreign powers.

A suspect arrested in Romania is being investigated for espionage and planning a violent attack that endangers the state. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that while foreign involvement cannot be ruled out, he declined to confirm media reports alleging Russian intelligence was behind the plot. The suspect, described as a low-level agent, is also connected to planned parcel bomb attacks in Romania.

German security services had rendered the discovered weapons inoperable and placed the cache under surveillance for months, but no one attempted to retrieve them. Dobrindt emphasized that the case highlights a high threat level, noting that other operatives, including a Kazakh citizen, have been detained this year under similar circumstances. German intelligence has previously warned of Russian intelligence services planning assassinations within Germany.