German prosecutors probe hidden camera at Minden rail hub linked to Ukraine military transports

German prosecutors have launched an espionage investigation after a hidden camera was discovered at Minden train station, a key loading point for Ukraine-bound military transports, suspecting preparations for sabotage.

The camera was discovered in September by a Deutsche Bahn (DB) employee who spotted it by chance, public broadcasters WDR and NDR reported on Tuesday. The device was a small black unit mounted about 5 meters up a pole with a fake DB sticker. It had a solar panel, a foreign SIM card for live feeds, night vision, and storage for recordings. The camera was aimed at a shunting area that handles military trains, security sources told the broadcasters.

Authorities identified a suspect, a Lithuanian national believed to have installed the camera. On Tuesday morning, investigators searched the suspect's home in Detmold, the prosecutor's office confirmed. Authorities suspect the camera was used to monitor Ukraine-linked military rail transports, possibly as part of planned sabotage.

Investigators have not yet found evidence of who commissioned the installation. Authorities suspect Russian intelligence services may be behind it, the broadcasters reported. Germany's domestic intelligence agency has warned that Moscow increasingly relies on recruited informants and would-be saboteurs with no intelligence background.