Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office in January searched a boat suspected of carrying explosives used in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipeline explosions in September, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.
“The Office of the Attorney General of Germany conducted a search of a ship from January 18 to 20, 2023 in connection with a suspicious ship rental,” the statement read.
“The evaluation of the seized traces and objects is ongoing. The identity of the perpetrators and their motives are the subject of ongoing investigation,” it said.
Investigations are ongoing and no reliable statements can be made yet, particularly as to whether any state controlled these plans, it added.
It comes after a media report cited new information that a “pro-Ukrainian group” may have been behind the attack last year.
“There are no reasons to suspect employees of the German company that hired the ship,” the agency said.
More details from the German public broadcaster’s report: The boat left the Baltic Sea port of Rostock, Germany, on Sept. 6, 2022, according to German public broadcaster ARD, citing its own investigation. The ARD report cited unnamed security sources from five countries.
ARD said the boat had six people on board: a captain, two divers, two assistant divers and a doctor. According to ARD, the nationalities of those six are not known. The broadcaster said the group used professionally forged passports to rent the boat.
A truck delivered the group’s equipment to the port in advance, it said.
ARD said that according to their investigation, the researchers were able to piece together the boat’s route after Sept. 6: It went to Wieck, a German municipality east of Rostock, and could also be pinned down on the Danish island of Christiansø, northeast from Bornholm.
According to ARD, the boat was returned in a dirty state and, according to research by the broadcaster, the detectives were able to find traces of explosives on the cabin table.
The German prosecutor’s office declined to provide more information when asked for more details.
DailyExpertNews also approached the port of Rostock and is waiting for a response, but today is a public holiday.