03-03-2025
Sabotage attempt could have left entire Swedish holiday island without water
Police are investigating a case of attempted sabotage involving the water supply on a holiday island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Sweden.
The entire island of Gotland could have been left without water had the possible sabotage not been discovered, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet Daily reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources.
The area has been cordoned off and technicians are investigating.
"We are aware of an incident that was reported yesterday but it is being handled by police," a Swedish Security Service spokesperson told Reuters.
A police spokesperson declined to comment.
Gotland is Sweden's largest island with a coastline spanning 800 kilometres. The Pippi Longstocking TV series was entirely filmed in the island's main town of Visby - which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The report comes just days after the suspected sabotage of an undersea telecoms cable was discovered just off Gotland. It is not suggested the incidents are related.
Finnish operator Cinia said it had detected problems on its C-Lion1 fibre-optic link connecting Finland and Germany and later confirmed the cable was damaged even as data traffic continued to flow.
Finland's National Bureau of Investigation said a preliminary investigation was launched. Swedish police are also investigating because the breach occurred in Sweden's economic zone.
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the government was being briefed and that damage to any undersea infrastructure was particularly concerning amid the current security situation.
No suspects had been identified.
Sweden's coast guard deployed a vessel to the area as multiple seabed cables have been damaged in recent months, however, some were ruled accidental.
The Baltic Sea region in general is on alert after a series of power cable, telecom and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The European Commission said it would propose boosting surveillance of undersea cables and establishing a fleet of vessels available to carry out repairs in emergencies.
