The bottom finds can point in a clear direction

The findings of foreign objects with explosives on the bottom of the sea at Nord Stream could provide a picture of how the explosions took place, according to Hans Liwång at the Norwegian Defense University.

– They can help rule out possible culprits or point in a clear direction.

Nord Stream was subjected to gross sabotage, prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist confirmed on Friday in a press release.

In the investigation, extensive seizures have also been made and explosives have been found on several foreign objects, according to the prosecutor.

Parts of an explosive charge

The information that finds have been made at the bottom of the sea is new.

– It is not very surprising. But it was far from obvious that one would be able to find this kind of thing. It is not known how the bottom was affected by both the detonation and the gas that rushed out of the pipes, says Hans Liwång, docent in defense systems at the University of Defense.

The foreign objects with remnants of explosives may be parts of the explosive charge, according to Liwång.

But we do not know which parts it is about.

– There are probably components that have controlled the detonation itself, or packaged it. It is usually the type of plastic or steel components that were part of the construction that you can find, says Liwång.

Very complex investigation

The type of findings is important for what conclusions can be drawn. In the best case, the findings together with the rest of the investigation can help rule out possible culprits, or point in a clearer direction.

– But we don’t know how clear and concrete it is. It could also be a more general part that has been found and that does not point in any direction, notes Liwång.

He is now interested in more information about how many explosive charges there were in total, and whether they were located at all gas lines.

The prosecutor states that the preliminary investigation is very complex and extensive and that the continued preliminary investigation must show whether anyone can be suspected of a crime.

A total of four leaks were discovered at the end of September on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines that run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.