Germany Arrests Two in Warship Sabotage Case

German authorities have arrested two men suspected of sabotaging warships under construction for the navy in Hamburg harbor last year, in an incident that could have caused major damage or operational delays if not detected in time.

The suspects, a 37-year-old Romanian national and a 54-year-old Greek national, were detained on Tuesday in Hamburg and a village in northern Greece, according to Hamburg prosecutors. The men, who worked at the port, allegedly tampered with several corvettes during their employment at a shipyard. Investigators say the pair poured more than 20 kilograms of abrasive steel pellets into an engine block, punctured freshwater supply lines, removed caps from fuel tanks and deactivated electronic safety fuses. The sabotage came to light during routine pre-departure inspections in mid-January as the corvette Emden prepared for its first voyage to the port city of Kiel.

Prosecutors stated that the actions, if undetected, would have led to significant damage to the vessels or postponed their deployment, potentially compromising national security and the operational readiness of German troops. The suspects had access to the ships through their roles, including...