The distribution company Stromnetz Berlin indicated that about 25,000 households were affected, especially in the Treptow-Köpenick district, and warned that the service could be normalized until Thursday.

Mayor Kai Wegner condemned the act and stated that it deliberately put human lives and urban security at risk, while two mobile crisis centres were activated to assist the population.

The state criminal police is investigating the perpetrators of the attack, whose first clues point to alleged elements of the far-left Indymedia platform, according to ARD.

Analysts consider that the target could be the technology park of Adlershof, where firms of the military industrial complex operate, which reveals the vulnerability of critical infrastructures.

The shutdown affected schools, nurseries and geriatric centres; several mechanically ventilated patients were rushed to other hospitals and a dozen educational establishments closed.

Traffic lights, street lighting, loudspeakers, elevators and ticket machines at the city’s main railway station also failed. abo/mem/amp