article / archive from TAGESSPIEGEL
(both in German)
Left-wing extremists claim responsibility for arson attack: Tesla factory in Brandenburg paralyzed
On Tuesday morning, the power failed at the Tesla factory in Grünheide. Attacks on critical infrastructure are a form of terrorism, said Minister President Woidke.
Left-wing extremists have claimed responsibility for the arson attack on the power supply to the Tesla factory in Brandenburg, which also led to power cuts in the region. "Together we will bring Tesla to its knees. Switch off for Tesla. Greetings to all on the run, underground in prisons and in the resistance! Love and strength to all Antif@s!" reads the detailed email from the so-called "volcano group", which was received by this newspaper at 11.41 am. "We sabotaged Tesla today." There has been no assessment of this by security authorities so far. "We are currently looking into it," Beate Kardes, spokeswoman for the state police headquarters, told this newspaper. The so-called "volcano group" had already carried out an arson attack on high-voltage power lines to the factory construction site in 2021.
"Tesla eats earth, resources, people and manpower and spits out SUVs, killer machines and monster trucks in return. Our gift for March 8 is to shut down Tesla," the email reads. It continues: "Because the complete destruction of the Gigafactory and with it the cutting off of "techno-fascists" like Elend Musk (meaning Tesla boss Elon Musk, editor's note) is a step on the path to liberation from patriarchy."
Tesla factory was evacuated
There were massive power outages around the Tesla Gigafactory in Grünheide on Tuesday - the US electric car manufacturer's factory with 12,500 employees was paralyzed. "The factory has been evacuated," Tesla confirmed on request. "According to the authorities, it was an arson attack". There was a power outage at around 5 am. All necessary measures had been taken to secure the production facility.
"If the initial findings are confirmed, this is a perfidious attack on our electricity infrastructure. That will have consequences. Thousands of people have been cut off from their basic supply and put in danger," said Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU). "The constitutional state will react to such an act of sabotage with the utmost severity. Nothing can yet be said about the perpetrators, so I caution against premature speculation. We must now concentrate all our efforts on clearing up the incident. The State Office of Criminal Investigation has started the investigation."
Unknown perpetrators had set fire to a high-voltage pylon between Steinfurt and Hartmannsdorf. Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) is calling for the Federal Public Prosecutor General to take up the investigation. "Attacks on our critical infrastructure are a form of terrorism. We now need the rule of law to take firm action. If the suspicion of a terrorist attack is confirmed, the Federal Public Prosecutor General will have to take over the investigation," Woidke announced.
After consulting with the grid operator E.Dis, Tesla expects that it will take "some time" before the damage can be repaired and the factory can be supplied with electricity again. The power was also cut in Erkner, Grünheide and the surrounding area and parts of south-east Berlin. The Freienbrinck industrial estate, where Edeka operates a distribution warehouse for Berlin, Brandenburg and other regions in eastern Germany, is also affected.
"The repair of the damaged section of the high-voltage pylon is currently being prepared," said Edis spokesperson Danilo Fox. The damage site with the damaged E.DIS high-voltage pylon has been secured. "Since the early hours of the morning, E.DIS emergency services and partner companies have also been on site to assess the damage and initiate and coordinate further necessary steps, such as switching operations," said Fox.
As a result of the damage, there were supply interruptions in Freienbrink, Erkner, Neu Zittau, Dahlwitz-Hoppegarten, Neuenhagen, Woltersdorf, Schöneiche and Gosen, among others. "Thanks to the immediate switching measures initiated by the E.DIS network experts, the supply outage could be limited in the meantime," said Fox. Due to the ongoing police investigation, "no further information" is possible.
"We assume arson. We are investigating in all directions," explained a spokeswoman for the Eastern Police Directorate on Tuesday morning. "The operation is ongoing". No further details could be given at this time. The police confirmed the fire at a facility in the grid of electricity network operator E.DIS in the Tesla region. "There was a burning electricity pylon in the Gosen/Neuzittau district," they said. The fire, which was reported at 5.15 a.m., has since been extinguished. A high-voltage overhead cable is said to have been damaged by the fire on the free-standing pylon in a field. A police helicopter was deployed following the fire alarm in the morning.
Explosive ordnance detector in action
"In disaster control circles of the Märkisch-Oderland district office, there was initially talk of an "arson attack on a transformer station".
According to information from MAZ and BZ, there was also a police operation on suspicion of explosive ordnance. A tent was reportedly found near the fire with the warning: "Explosive ordnance buried here". The area is therefore being searched for bombs. The munitions salvage service of the Brandenburg police, deployed from Wünsdorf, is said to be in action. Upon request, E.Dis announced that it would provide information "as soon as reliable information is available."
Not far from the factory and the site of the arson attack, five or six kilometers away - with the River Spree flowing in between - there has been a protest camp of 80 to 100 climate activists from all over Germany against the Tesla factory near the Fangschleuse train station for several days. They have erected ten tree houses several meters above the ground. The forest is owned by the state of Brandenburg. They are protesting against expansion plans for the electric car manufacturer's factory and "dirty e-mobility". The forest occupation is supported by the Grünheide citizens' initiative. Tesla wants to expand its existing factory by 118 hectares on the site, primarily for a freight depot, for which the forest is to be largely cleared.
"We don't know any more than anyone else. We didn't notice anything about the fire," said Lotta Neyman, press spokesperson for the protest camp. So far, communication with the police has gone well. The police had inquired with the activists after the arson attack, but no searches or similar had taken place. "On the one hand, we are worried that there will be negative consequences for our protest. On the other hand, we are happy to receive any attention for our cause," said the 20-year-old student. Basically, the activists are confident that the camp, which was tolerated until March 15, will be allowed to continue to exist after that date.
Citizens' initiative distances itself from the attack
In a referendum in Grünheide, the residents rejected these plans by a large majority. The Grünheide citizens' initiative distanced itself from the arson attack. "These are not our methods, we rely on peaceful, creative protest. This sets us back and harms us, also in terms of acceptance," said spokesman Steffen Schorcht, also on behalf of the "Tesla den Hahn" alliance. The planned demonstration next Saturday, to which representatives of international environmental groups are also calling, will still take place.
In 2021, there had already been an arson attack on high-voltage cables supplying the factory construction site at the time. The left-wing extremist group "Vulkan" had also claimed responsibility for this in a letter of confession. The perpetrators were never identified.
(both in German)
Left-wing extremists claim responsibility for arson attack: Tesla factory in Brandenburg paralyzed
On Tuesday morning, the power failed at the Tesla factory in Grünheide. Attacks on critical infrastructure are a form of terrorism, said Minister President Woidke.
Left-wing extremists have claimed responsibility for the arson attack on the power supply to the Tesla factory in Brandenburg, which also led to power cuts in the region. "Together we will bring Tesla to its knees. Switch off for Tesla. Greetings to all on the run, underground in prisons and in the resistance! Love and strength to all Antif@s!" reads the detailed email from the so-called "volcano group", which was received by this newspaper at 11.41 am. "We sabotaged Tesla today." There has been no assessment of this by security authorities so far. "We are currently looking into it," Beate Kardes, spokeswoman for the state police headquarters, told this newspaper. The so-called "volcano group" had already carried out an arson attack on high-voltage power lines to the factory construction site in 2021.
"Tesla eats earth, resources, people and manpower and spits out SUVs, killer machines and monster trucks in return. Our gift for March 8 is to shut down Tesla," the email reads. It continues: "Because the complete destruction of the Gigafactory and with it the cutting off of "techno-fascists" like Elend Musk (meaning Tesla boss Elon Musk, editor's note) is a step on the path to liberation from patriarchy."
Tesla factory was evacuated
There were massive power outages around the Tesla Gigafactory in Grünheide on Tuesday - the US electric car manufacturer's factory with 12,500 employees was paralyzed. "The factory has been evacuated," Tesla confirmed on request. "According to the authorities, it was an arson attack". There was a power outage at around 5 am. All necessary measures had been taken to secure the production facility.
"If the initial findings are confirmed, this is a perfidious attack on our electricity infrastructure. That will have consequences. Thousands of people have been cut off from their basic supply and put in danger," said Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU). "The constitutional state will react to such an act of sabotage with the utmost severity. Nothing can yet be said about the perpetrators, so I caution against premature speculation. We must now concentrate all our efforts on clearing up the incident. The State Office of Criminal Investigation has started the investigation."
Unknown perpetrators had set fire to a high-voltage pylon between Steinfurt and Hartmannsdorf. Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) is calling for the Federal Public Prosecutor General to take up the investigation. "Attacks on our critical infrastructure are a form of terrorism. We now need the rule of law to take firm action. If the suspicion of a terrorist attack is confirmed, the Federal Public Prosecutor General will have to take over the investigation," Woidke announced.
After consulting with the grid operator E.Dis, Tesla expects that it will take "some time" before the damage can be repaired and the factory can be supplied with electricity again. The power was also cut in Erkner, Grünheide and the surrounding area and parts of south-east Berlin. The Freienbrinck industrial estate, where Edeka operates a distribution warehouse for Berlin, Brandenburg and other regions in eastern Germany, is also affected.
"The repair of the damaged section of the high-voltage pylon is currently being prepared," said Edis spokesperson Danilo Fox. The damage site with the damaged E.DIS high-voltage pylon has been secured. "Since the early hours of the morning, E.DIS emergency services and partner companies have also been on site to assess the damage and initiate and coordinate further necessary steps, such as switching operations," said Fox.
As a result of the damage, there were supply interruptions in Freienbrink, Erkner, Neu Zittau, Dahlwitz-Hoppegarten, Neuenhagen, Woltersdorf, Schöneiche and Gosen, among others. "Thanks to the immediate switching measures initiated by the E.DIS network experts, the supply outage could be limited in the meantime," said Fox. Due to the ongoing police investigation, "no further information" is possible.
"We assume arson. We are investigating in all directions," explained a spokeswoman for the Eastern Police Directorate on Tuesday morning. "The operation is ongoing". No further details could be given at this time. The police confirmed the fire at a facility in the grid of electricity network operator E.DIS in the Tesla region. "There was a burning electricity pylon in the Gosen/Neuzittau district," they said. The fire, which was reported at 5.15 a.m., has since been extinguished. A high-voltage overhead cable is said to have been damaged by the fire on the free-standing pylon in a field. A police helicopter was deployed following the fire alarm in the morning.
Explosive ordnance detector in action
"In disaster control circles of the Märkisch-Oderland district office, there was initially talk of an "arson attack on a transformer station".
According to information from MAZ and BZ, there was also a police operation on suspicion of explosive ordnance. A tent was reportedly found near the fire with the warning: "Explosive ordnance buried here". The area is therefore being searched for bombs. The munitions salvage service of the Brandenburg police, deployed from Wünsdorf, is said to be in action. Upon request, E.Dis announced that it would provide information "as soon as reliable information is available."
Not far from the factory and the site of the arson attack, five or six kilometers away - with the River Spree flowing in between - there has been a protest camp of 80 to 100 climate activists from all over Germany against the Tesla factory near the Fangschleuse train station for several days. They have erected ten tree houses several meters above the ground. The forest is owned by the state of Brandenburg. They are protesting against expansion plans for the electric car manufacturer's factory and "dirty e-mobility". The forest occupation is supported by the Grünheide citizens' initiative. Tesla wants to expand its existing factory by 118 hectares on the site, primarily for a freight depot, for which the forest is to be largely cleared.
"We don't know any more than anyone else. We didn't notice anything about the fire," said Lotta Neyman, press spokesperson for the protest camp. So far, communication with the police has gone well. The police had inquired with the activists after the arson attack, but no searches or similar had taken place. "On the one hand, we are worried that there will be negative consequences for our protest. On the other hand, we are happy to receive any attention for our cause," said the 20-year-old student. Basically, the activists are confident that the camp, which was tolerated until March 15, will be allowed to continue to exist after that date.
Citizens' initiative distances itself from the attack
In a referendum in Grünheide, the residents rejected these plans by a large majority. The Grünheide citizens' initiative distanced itself from the arson attack. "These are not our methods, we rely on peaceful, creative protest. This sets us back and harms us, also in terms of acceptance," said spokesman Steffen Schorcht, also on behalf of the "Tesla den Hahn" alliance. The planned demonstration next Saturday, to which representatives of international environmental groups are also calling, will still take place.
In 2021, there had already been an arson attack on high-voltage cables supplying the factory construction site at the time. The left-wing extremist group "Vulkan" had also claimed responsibility for this in a letter of confession. The perpetrators were never identified.
