STOCKHOLM: Investigators found traces of explosives at the site of the damaged Nord Stream pipelines, confirming that sabotage had taken place, a Swedish prosecutor said on Friday. But the prosecutor did not provide other details and information at the moment.
In the course of its intensive crime scene investigations carried out on the site of the detonations in the Baltic Sea, probes showed that the pipelines had been subject to gross sabotage, it was added in a statement.
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The Swedish Security Service probe, headed by a National Security Unit prosecutor, had documented extensive damage to the gas pipelines resulting from the blasts, it was underscored, with a number of seizures made, including foreign items. Sabotage was confirmed after explosive residue was identified on a number of the seized and analyzed items.
It may be recalled that on September 26, a rapid gas pressure drop and fuel leakage were detected along the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, the main routes to supply Russian gas to Europe.
Initial investigations by Swedish and Danish authorities had pointed toward likely sabotage. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office was prompted to investigate the incident as an act of international terrorism.
The Swedish Security, working intensively on the investigation, said “the advanced analysis work is still in progress – the aim is to draw more definitive conclusions about the Nord Stream incidents. The investigation is extensive and complex and will eventually show whether anyone can be suspected of, and later prosecuted for this.”
