German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has confirmed that security services found a hidden weapons cache in a forest near Berlin last year. Federal prosecutors are now investigating a suspect detained in Romania on suspicion of espionage and preparing a serious act of violence.
Danish broadcaster DR reports that Dobrindt confirmed the find at a press conference on Friday. Domestic intelligence services and police discovered firearms and ammunition in a forest near the German capital. Several German media outlets reported on the case earlier the same day.
According to Reuters, the cache was found in October 2025 and contained two handguns and ammunition. Dobrindt said the depot was located after a tipoff and the weapons were immediately rendered inoperable. Investigators then kept the hiding place under surveillance for months, but no one came to collect the weapons.
The case has since been taken over by the Federal Public Prosecutor, the Generalbundesanwalt. As reported by Rheinische Post, the proceedings concern suspected secret service agent activity and preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state. Dobrindt described the suspect as a low-level agent.
Extradition talks with Romania
German authorities are in contact with Romania about a possible extradition of the detained man. Per France 24, he is also under investigation in Romania over suspected plans for parcel-bomb attacks. His nationality has not been disclosed, and no target or motive has been made public.
DR reports that several other people were previously detained in the case, including a citizen of Kazakhstan. Dobrindt said the case shows that Germany is operating under a high threat level. He gave no details about what a possible attack might have been aimed at.
Berlin-Brandenburg broadcaster rbb24 reported that the depot lay in Brandenburg, close to the Berlin border, and was professionally prepared. Citing joint reporting by WDR, NDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung, it said the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has indications the site was a covert depot for Russian intelligence.
Reuters notes that those earlier media investigations suggested the weapons were intended for killings on behalf of Russian intelligence services. Dobrindt did not confirm that account at the press conference. He said he would not rule out foreign involvement, and gave no further detail on possible espionage links.
Reuters and public broadcaster MDR link the timing of the announcement to two developments. The Federal Public Prosecutor has formally taken over the investigation, and a suspect connected to the cache is now in custody in Romania. German authorities assume the depot was created to facilitate an attack in Germany.
