The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have been subject to gross sabotage, the Swedish Security Service said on Friday, adding that there is an intensive investigation regarding the detonations at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
In a statement, the Swedish Security Service said, that in the “crime scene investigations carried out onsite in the Baltic Sea, the extensive damage to the gas pipelines resulting from detonations has been thoroughly documented”, adding that, “several seizures have been made, including foreign items. Explosive residue was identified on a number of the seized and analysed foreign items”.
The advanced analysis work is still in progress, and the aim is to draw more definitive conclusions about the Nord Stream incidents. As it is mentioned, the investigation is extensive and complex and will eventually show whether anyone can be suspected of, and later prosecuted for this.
The investigation is being conducted by the Swedish Security Service, and is headed by a National Security Unit prosecutor. The Service is being assisted in this case by several agencies including, among others, the Swedish Coast Guard, the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish police Authority.
It is worth mentioning that in early October, the Swedish Security Service carried out a crime scene investigation of the damage to Nord Stream 1 and 2, which strengthened the suspicions of gross sabotage.
The Copenhagen Police, assisted by the Armed Forces and in cooperation with, among others, the Danish Police Intelligence Service, have carried out a number of preliminary investigations of the crime scenes in the Baltic Sea.
The investigations have confirmed that there has been extensive damage to Nord Stream 1 and 2 in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone, and that the damage has been caused by powerful explosions.
On the basis of the preliminary investigations, the Danish Police Intelligence Service and the Copenhagen Police have decided to set up a joint investigation group, with relevant authorities both in Denmark and abroad, including the Armed Forces, to handle the further investigation of the incidents.
Police authorities in Germany, Denmark and Sweden have established a systematic collaboration regarding the Nord Stream incidents.
As stated in the declaration of 28 September 2022 by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union, “the European Union is deeply concerned about the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, that has resulted in leaks in the international waters of the Baltic Sea. Safety and environmental concerns are of utmost priority”. As it was also mentioned in the joint declaration, “these incidents are not a coincidence and affect us all”.
Source: Swedish Security Service & Danish Police
