COPENHAGEN, Denmark – A Swedish prosecutor wants “an additional crime scene investigation” at the site of an explosion that damaged two natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea and said on Friday that a Preliminary investigation concluded the cause was “a suspicion of total vandalism.”
Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said he understood the intense interest in determining what happened to Nord Stream I and the two pipelines, built to transport Russian gas to Germany.
“But it is important both for the preliminary investigation and for the various collaborations that we have that we can now work in peace and quiet,” Ljungqvist said.
The Swedish Homeland Security Service and the armed forces are assisting with the investigation, which is being carried out in cooperation with authorities in other countries,” he said.
The Swedish Security Service earlier said that the “explosion” under the sea on September 26 caused major damage to pipelines in international waters off the coast of Sweden and Denmark. The pipes burst, sending large amounts of methane into the air.
The Swedish navy said on Twitter that it was using the minesweeper to carry out “additional bottom surveys” that are not part of the criminal investigation. It does not state the nature of the work.
Investigators in Sweden, Denmark and Germany are looking into what happened. Danish and Swedish officials said they suspect hundreds of pounds of explosives were involved in carrying out an act of intentional sabotage.
Nord Stream 1 carries gas to Germany until Russia cuts off supply at the end of August. Nord Stream 2 has never been operational because Germany suspended its certification process shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in October. Two.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of attacking the pipeline, which Western nations deny.
Ljungqvist, who is leading the Swedish preliminary investigation, said earlier this month that “seizures have been made at the crime scene” but gave no details.
