Finnish-Swedish fibre optic cable damage hints at sabotage
Swedish Radio reported on Tuesday that a fibre optic cable connecting Finland to Sweden was damaged on Monday in the country's land section. The Finnish police suspect sabotage.
The Swedish Post and Telecommunications Authority (PTS) spokesperson, Peter Ekstedt, stated that the cable was severed in two places.
The fibre owner, Global Connect, reported on its website that a serious malfunction had occurred. As a result of the incident, about 6,000 households and 100 business customers in Finland did not have access to the internet on Monday. "The repair is underway," it assured.
The Swedish newspaper "Aftonbladet" recalls that two telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea were cut in November, connecting Lithuania with Sweden and Finland with Germany.
The newspaper also reports that this time, the cable break was discovered on Monday evening. The Swedish prosecutor's office, among others, is investigating possible sabotage. The Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 is suspected of damaging the cables.
According to a statement by Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oscar Bohlin, the matter is being taken seriously. He emphasized, "The Finnish police, due to the circumstances, suspect sabotage."
Source: PAP, Aftonbladet
