Investigators Find DNA Materials On Yacht Allegedly Linked To Nord Stream Blasts - Reports

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2023) German investigators found hair on clothes left in a yacht allegedly linked to attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines last September and sent these materials for DNA analysis, Germany's Bild newspaper reported.

The investigation obtained a number of items earlier in the year, including an Icebreaker t-shirt and a Von Lamezan hat with hair on them, the report said, citing the search warrant and a list of the items seized during the search of the yacht. The materials were analyzed in a laboratory, the newspaper added.

Bild gave no details on whether the items on the yacht belonged to the unknown pro-Ukrainian individuals German media said were allegedly involved in the attack.

On Monday, Spiegel disclosed details regarding the yacht allegedly linked to the sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines. A Bavaria Cruiser 50 sailing yacht called Andromeda was rented by unknown people, with the e-mail used for the rent hinting at connections with Ukraine, according to the report.

Earlier in the month, another German newspaper, Zeit, reported that investigators had identified the vessel involved in the Nord Stream sabotage, with traces leading to a company owned by Ukrainians.

The operation at sea was carried out by a team of six, believed to be five men and one woman, according to the report.

The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, have been dysfunctional since they were hit by explosions last September. Nord Stream's operator, Nord Stream AG, said that the damage was unprecedented and it was impossible to estimate the time repairs might take.

Russia considers the explosions of the two pipelines an act of international terrorism. There are no official results of the investigation yet, but US journalist and Pulitzer prize winner Seymour Hersh alleged that the explosions were organized by the United States with the support of Norway. Following Hersh's report, Moscow has reiterated its calls for an impartial and thorough investigation. The US denies its involvement in the incident.