German military base sealed off due to suspected sabotage act, reports Spiegel

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German military base next to Cologne airport has been sealed off and thousands of soldiers working there advised not to drink tap water as authorities investigate what may be an act of sabotage, Spiegel magazine reported on Wednesday.

The tap water on the base with 4,300 soldiers and 1,200 civilian employees may have been contaminated after someone forced entry into the premises bordering Cologne airport, the magazine said, adding police, military police and the military intelligence agency MAD were looking into the case.

The base in Cologne-Wahn is home to the fleet of military aircraft used for travel by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ministers.

The defence ministry in Berlin and the military intelligence agency MAD were not immediately available for comment. Police in Cologne said they could not comment.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Matthias Inverardi, Editing by Miranda Murray)