Swedish police probe water sabotage attempt on Gotland

Swedish police are investigating a case of attempted sabotage targeting the water supply on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, the daily Aftonbladet reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources.

According to the sources, the entire island might have been left without water if the sabotage had not been discovered.

The report comes amid a number of recent incidents of damage to infrastructure in the region that have been blamed on Russian hybrid warfare.

The threat to Gotland’s water supply

Aftonbladet cited the region’s head of water and sewage services, Susanne Bjergegaard-Pettersson, as saying saboteurs had caused a pump stoppage at a lake that supplies “large parts of Gotland.”

“We are aware of an incident that was reported yesterday but it is being handled by police,” a Swedish Security Service spokesperson told Reuters.

Technicians who examined the damage on Sunday said there was evidence of “human influence.” Patrik Johansson of the region’s water and sewage services said it was “not an accidental act,” and that someone had “turned the pump off and pulled out a cable.”

Read more: Deutsche Welle