UPDATE: Report: “Certain state” may be behind N Stream explosions

(Rewrites throughout)

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON/BERLIN, Sep 29 (PRIME) -- “A certain state” may be involved in the Nord Stream incidents, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson told ZDF TV channel on Thursday.

“As far as I can tell, this is a very deliberate attack that cannot be carried out by an ordinary group of people. So there is a high risk that a certain state is behind it after all,” she said.

CNN reported, citing a source, the investigation may begin on October 2, currently Denmark and Sweden are investigating the circumstances of the explosions.

A high-ranking Pentagon representative told reporters that the U.S. was not involved in the Nord Stream incidents. The Russian embassy in Washington said that Russia insists on a comprehensive and objective investigation into the circumstances of the situation.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the incident occurred in an area controlled by U.S. intelligence.

NATO said that the alliance believes the leaks were the result of sabotage and supports an investigation to determine the cause of damage and leaks. The alliance also said that any attack on its critical infrastructure will be followed by a strong response.

E.U. source told reporters that E.U. energy ministers will address the issue of the leaks at an extraordinary meeting on Friday, where the Swedish, Danish and German delegations will present information about damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which led to the gas leaks.

The Sky News TV channel reported on Wednesday, citing a source in the British Ministry of Defence, the British authorities believe the incidents could have been caused by an attack using underwater explosive devices that were remotely detonated.

The source also dismissed speculation that a Russian submarine could have planted explosive devices because the Baltic Sea is not very deep, making it difficult to conduct such an undersea mission without detection, the TV channel reported.

On Monday, pressure drops and gas leaks were detected in a thread of Nord Stream 2 and in both threads of Nord Stream in the Swedish and Danish waters. Germany, Sweden and Denmark did not rule out an attack on the pipelines. Later Reuters reported that Sweden's coast guard discovered a fourth leak on Tuesday.

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