The German Interior Ministry will permanently station a tactical police unit at the Baltic Sea port of Neustadt to provide a quick response to any potential attack on “critical infrastructure”.
According to the German monthly Der Spiegel, citing security sources, Germany’s move is believed to be in response to the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022, which revealed the possibility of sabotage.
The German Federal Police’s counter-terrorism section GSG 9 has a maritime unit GSG 9/2 that employs specially trained divers, is equipped with speedboats, and may operate from the country’s Federal Police vessels.
The ministry did not publicly confirm details about the units’ deployment, noting that it was unable to disclose detailed data on GSG 9 deployment areas due to tactical reasons.
“Given the current threats through acts of sabotage against critical infrastructure or terrorist attacks, the ability to respond quickly to a crisis is important,” a minister’s spokeswoman told reporters.
Bettina Hagedorn, the regional representative in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, informed the media that the decision was made on Wednesday.
“In Neustadt, the federal police has its port where there are four 86-meter-long vessels intended for emergencies that GSG 9 can use in case they are needed,” Deputy Hagedorn added.