Berlin, Germany, 21 August (Brussles Morning Newspaper) – German security authorities are investigating a weapons cache near Berlin after two loaded firearms were found hidden in woodland, with intelligence officials reportedly suspecting they had been placed there for agents carrying out attacks on behalf of Russian intelligence services.
The discovery was first made last year but emerged publicly on Friday through a joint investigation by German broadcasters NDR and WDR and the SĂĽddeutsche Zeitung. The case is now being examined by federal prosecutors, while a suspect linked to the hiding place has reportedly been arrested in Romania.
Two firearms found hidden in Brandenburg woodland
The cache was discovered in a forest in Brandenburg on the outskirts of the German capital after security authorities received a tip towards the end of last summer.
Investigators found two operational firearms inside what German reporting described as a professionally prepared hiding place. Rather than immediately removing the weapons, officers rendered them unusable and continued watching the site in the hope that someone would return to collect them.
Nobody did.
Investigators are considering whether those behind the cache may have realised that German authorities had discovered it.
The unusual circumstances surrounding the hiding place have made the case particularly sensitive. Germany’s domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, believes the depot may have been established on instructions from Russian intelligence, according to the German investigation.
Authorities suspect weapons were intended for assassinations
Reuters reported that German security authorities believe the handguns could have been used to carry out assassinations on behalf of Russian intelligence.
No intended victim has been publicly identified, and investigators have not disclosed evidence connecting the firearms to a specific planned killing.
According to the joint German reporting, possible targets of Russian operations more broadly could include defence industry executives, Russian opposition figures living abroad and people involved in supporting Ukraine. That does not mean investigators have established that any of those individuals were the intended target of these particular weapons.
Suspect arrested in Romania as prosecutors investigate
A suspect has been arrested in Romania and may have been involved in setting up the weapons cache near Berlin, according to the reports.
Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating on suspicion of preparing a serious act of violence endangering the state. Reuters reported that both federal prosecutors and Germany’s domestic intelligence service declined to comment on the case.
The Russian embassy in Germany did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The suspected Russian connection therefore remains an intelligence assessment under investigation rather than a finding established by a court.
Germany steps up scrutiny of Russian intelligence activity
The case comes as Berlin increases its focus on espionage, sabotage and threats against people living in Germany.
Just a day before reports of the weapons discovery emerged, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency announced a new service aimed at people who have fled authoritarian states, including Russia, China and Iran, amid concerns that exiles can remain targets of surveillance, intimidation, abduction or assassination after reaching Germany.
That wider security environment gives the discovery greater significance for German authorities, particularly if investigators establish that the weapons were prepared for an operation directed by a foreign intelligence service.
What happens next?
Federal investigators will now seek to establish who supplied the firearms, who prepared the hiding place and who was supposed to retrieve them.
The Romanian arrest could provide an important line of inquiry, but authorities have not publicly disclosed the suspect’s identity or detailed the evidence against them.
Investigators will also need to determine whether the weapons cache near Berlin can be conclusively traced to Russian intelligence and whether a specific target had already been selected.
Until those questions are answered, the suspected assassination link remains under investigation. What is established is that two firearms were secretly stored near the German capital, federal prosecutors are investigating the case and German security officials suspect a foreign intelligence connection.
