Nord Stream pipe blast was 'sabotage' as traces of explosives found

The Nord Stream pipe blast earlier this year is believed to have been ‘sabotage’ after traces of explosives were found by investigators.

The pipes – which are part of a network of offshore natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea - suffered ‘unprecedented’ damage in September, when gas started leaking into the ocean from three holes.

In the wake of the incident, huge safety concerns led to a five-mile exclusion zone being imposed around the area of the leak.

At the time, the Swedish Security Service said undersea ‘detonations’ caused the damage, resulting in suspicion of ‘sabotage’.

Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, suspected foul play from Russia, saying in a statement: "We have Swedish intelligence, but we have also received information in our contacts with Denmark, and based on this concluded that this is probably a deliberate act. It is probably a matter of sabotage.

@forsvaretdk/Twitter

"It is not a matter of an attack on Swedish or Danish territory. But that said, the government is taking what happened very seriously, not the least in light of the current security situation on our close proximity."

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also took to Twitter to confirm investigation was underway, describing the incident as ‘sabotage action’.

Now, the Swedish Prosecution Authority has confirmed that traces of explosives have been found at the sites of the blasts, confirming that sabotage had, indeed, taken place.

“Analysis that has now been carried out shows traces of explosives on several of the objects that were recovered,” it said in a statement today (Friday 18 November), adding: “The investigation is highly complex and comprehensive. The ongoing probe will determine whether any suspects can be identified."

The blast created four holes in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which link Russia and Germany.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy Stock Photo

The incident is currently being investigated by Swedish and Danish authorities, with a press release on the official Nord Stream website saying earlier this month that ‘initial data gathering’ had been completed.

“According to preliminary results of the damage site inspection, technogenic craters with a depth of 3 to 5 meters were found on the seabed at a distance of about 248 m from each other,” it said.

“The section of the pipe between the craters is destroyed, the radius of pipe fragments dispersion is at least 250 m. Experts continue to analyse the survey data.”