Attack plot on Russian orders? Secret weapons cache discovered near Berlin

A weapons cache containing two pistols and ammunition was discovered in a forest near Berlin. Germany's domestic intelligence service neutralized the weapons, attached surveillance devices, and returned them to the hiding place, but no one came to collect them. A man was arrested in Romania on suspicion of involvement. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that involvement of a foreign power cannot be ruled out, and security officials assess that the cache was prepared for Russian agents.

A weapons cache containing two pistols and ammunition was discovered in a forest near Berlin, raising suspicions that it was intended for a political attack, possibly on Russian orders. According to a joint investigation by NDR, WDR, and Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's domestic intelligence service received information about the cache as early as October 2025. Two pistols and ammunition were found at the site. Investigators neutralized the weapons, attached GPS-based surveillance devices, and returned them to the hiding place, hoping to identify who would come to collect them. No one arrived, and the assessment is that the operators realized the location was under surveillance. A man was arrested in Romania on suspicion of involvement. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that "involvement of a foreign power cannot be ruled out," but refrained from naming a country. Security officials cited in German media assess that the cache was prepared for Russian agents as part of "kinetic operations" – physical actions such as sabotage, damage to infrastructure, or assassinations. The suspect arrested in Romania is considered a "low-level agent," a person who is not a professional spy but was recruited for a specific mission. Authorities still do not know what the target of the possible attack was. In Berlin, it was noted that the investigation is also being conducted in cooperation with Romanian authorities, where clues to the planning of additional operations were found. In Germany, it is noted that the method of hiding weapons is not new, and during the Cold War, Soviet intelligence services set up concealed caches in Western Europe. About two years ago, explosives and grenades were accidentally found near Bellheim in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, hidden near a NATO fuel pipeline. The Russian embassy in Berlin dismissed the suspicions, calling them "anti-Russian speculation." Dobrindt said the case proves that Germany faces a "high threat level" and that authorities must be especially vigilant against hybrid threats.