German police are patrolling the North Sea and the Baltic Sea with “all available forces” following the recent explosions that damaged the Nord Stream submarine gas pipelines, Germany's Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, said on Friday.
"We are taking current threats seriously and are protecting ourselves," Ms. Faeser told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. Police units, including helicopters and maritime special forces, have "special capacities to intervene in dangerous situations," added the minister.
The Nord Stream gas pipelines, which have been closed since the end of August, were crucial arteries ensuring the delivery of Russian gas to Germany. The cause of the explosions is currently unknown.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told his Danish and Swedish counterparts in a video call on Friday that his government would support a joint investigation into the incident with Denmark and Sweden.
Everything suggests that it is a "deliberate act of sabotage," said the Chancellor's spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit.
Together with its EU and NATO partners, Germany will "strengthen preparedness and the protection of critical infrastructure against sabotage," he said.
Norway, which has become Europe's main supplier of natural gas, said on Friday it was accepting military contributions from France and Britain to secure its gas and oil sectors.
