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NATO airbase in Germany closed due to suspicions of sabotage — newspaper

According to unconfirmed reports, the suspicion of sabotage has grown with the closure of the Bundeswehr barracks in Cologne district, presumably due to the testimony of a detainee

BERLIN, August 14. /TASS/. The airbase in Geilenkirchen (the federal land of North Rhine-Westphalia) in western Germany, where NATO’s spy planes are based, has been closed due to suspicions of possible sabotage, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper has said with reference to a spokesman for the territorial command.

According the daily, the barracks in Geilenkirchen were also closed. Drinking water is being checked for possible pollution. The base has its own water supply system.

According to unconfirmed reports, the suspicion of sabotage has grown with the closure of the Bundeswehr barracks in Cologne district, presumably due to the testimony of a detainee. A spokesman for the territorial command, however, was initially unable to confirm this. According to the official, many security agencies are currently involved. Earlier, Der Spiegel magazine reported that the Bundeswehr barracks in a Cologne neighborhood had been completely sealed, tap water on the premises of the military unit may have been contaminated, and German law enforcement authorities have been conducting checks for possible sabotage.

"We take the incidents very seriously," a spokesman for the territorial command told Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The situation is quite complicated at the moment. The Air Force also confirmed the closure of the facility on the suspicion of sabotage.

According to Sueddeutsche Zeitung, an unidentified man was spotted at night near the waterworks at the Bundeswehr base in Cologne. He escaped. Another man has reportedly been detained. A hole was found in the barracks’ fence. It is unclear whether the other spotted person was on the Bundeswehr’s territory. The suspicion emerged after several members of the Bundeswehr fire department complained about stomach and intestinal problems.

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