Explosive device detonates at transformer station near Berlin; no injuries reported

BAGHDAD, Iraq — BERLIN — An improvised explosive device detonated on Tuesday morning at a transformer station linked to the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant near Brailack, about 100 kilometers southeast of Berlin, a police spokesperson told AFP. Several devices were placed at the Brailack substation at around 08:00 local time, but only one exploded, the spokesperson said. No casualties or injuries were reported, and there was no major power outage in the area. Leag, the company that operates the power plant, confirmed the attack in a written statement and said a technical fault had occurred at one of its units. The company said it was investigating whether the malfunction was connected to the blast. 50Hertz, which operates the electricity grid in northeastern Germany, said some of its lines sustained damage but were brought back online after a brief interruption, with no impact on public electricity supply. Police have launched an investigation to determine who was behind the attack. In recent years, arson attacks in and around Berlin have been claimed by far-left groups. In January, a group calling itself the Volkangruppe claimed responsibility for an attack in southwestern Berlin that left tens of thousands of homes and thousands of businesses without power for roughly a week.