Nine 5G masts attacked in West Midlands since coronavirus outbreak began
Nine 5G masts have been attacked across the West Midlands over coronavirus fears, it has been revealed.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson confirmed the number of attacks as he called on the public to report suspicious behaviour around the masts.
A mast providing mobile connectivity to the Nightingale hospital in Birmingham was among 20 suspected arson attacks against phone masts nationally over the Easter weekend.
It comes amid a spate of mast fires, despite conspiracy theories linking 5G to coronavirus being widely condemned by scientists, Government and industry as completely unfounded.
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Mr Jamieson told a West Midlands Combined Authority briefing: "One issue that's giving us a lot of concern now is attacks on 5G masts, with the totally bogus story going around that somehow the Chinese are spreading through the masts' 5G.
"Those claims are totally entirely false.
"We have had so far nine attacks on masts around the West Midlands, there's no indication that these are organised gangs but they're mainly individuals or small groups of individuals who have taken it upon themselves to save the West Midlands but this is really quite dangerous.
"If they succeeded taking out more than a few of these masts then it could affect very much the way that we're operating.
"We are calling upon the public to report any people who seem to be acting strangely around the masts or if they pick up any intelligence themselves about what people may be doing.
"These people could be the ones who cut your mobile phone off."
Mr Jamieson said there has been no arrests yet over the mast attacks in the area but the "intelligence services are working on this as we speak" and there are some people who might get their "collars felt" very soon.
