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Michael Leupold, commander of the Aargau cantonal police, warns of possible attacks on Switzerland's critical infrastructure. (archive picture)
Bild: sda
After the arson attack in Berlin, caution is growing in many places. The Aargau police have now stepped up their measures to protect critical infrastructure. There have already been espionage operations.
The arson attack on the Berlin power supply demonstrated how vulnerable critical infrastructure is, even in industrialized nations. Now the Aargau police have warned of the possibility of attacks on the critical infrastructure located in the cantonal capital.
There have even already been espionage activities "from which one must conclude that foreign services are interested in our infrastructures", as police commander Michael Leupold announced on the fringes of the annual media conference. The police are now focusing on protecting critical infrastructure.
Aargau is home to several nuclear power plants, freeways and important railroad lines and is an important location for the critical infrastructure of the whole of Switzerland.
According to Leupold, it is not possible to say from whom the aforementioned espionage actions originated. Even the spies themselves often don't know - their sponsors often remain anonymous.
As the critical infrastructure is "physically vulnerable", vigilance is needed to prevent scenarios like the one in Berlin - which was not triggered by foreign agents, but by left-wing extremists based in the city.
Leupold cited the attack on the fiber optic cable network in Rheinfelden AG in 2023 as another example. Back then, thousands of people lost access to the internet and telephone network.
The operators of the relevant facilities are also required to strengthen their security precautions. In an emergency, such as when a drone is sighted, the police can then react together with them.
In any case, we have to get used to such threats, such as those posed by cyber attacks, said police commander Leupold.
