German navy sabotage probe dropped for lack of evidence

German prosecutors have discontinued proceedings against two men suspected of trying to sabotage German navy corvettes in 2025, saying there was not enough evidence to file charges.

The two men, a 37-year-old Romanian and a 54-year-old Greek who worked at Hamburg port, were arrested in February on suspicion of acts of sabotage targeting vessels to be delivered to the German navy. They were freed from detention in March while the investigation continued.

Prosecutors said they were convinced the corvettes had been tampered with, particularly through the cutting of electricity on the Koeln. But they said it could not be established which suspect carried out the alleged activity with the certainty needed to file charges, and that it could not be proven that the two acted together under a joint plan.

The men had been accused of putting more than 20 kilogrammes of grit into one ship's engine block, puncturing water supply lines, removing caps from fuel tanks and deactivating electronic safety switches. The attempted sabotage was discovered in time to avoid further damage.

Der Spiegel reported at the time of the arrests that the Koeln corvette had been targeted in June 2025 and that another corvette, the Emden, was affected by an incident earlier that year. Both are part of a group of five vessels built for the German navy since 2019.

Germany and other NATO members in Europe have been on alert over suspected espionage, drone surveillance and sabotage during Russia's war against Ukraine. Last week, an explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called that incident a hybrid attack scenario potentially involving a foreign power, without naming Russia.