Production was halted and the factory evacuated. A left-wing extremist group claims responsibility for the attack on Tesla.
Police are investigating suspected arson after a power outage caused consequences for the Tesla factory near Berlin.
Production at Tesla's only European factory has been at a standstill since Tuesday morning. The factory in Grünheide, near Berlin, was evacuated.
The “volcano group”, classified as left-wing extremist, claimed responsibility for the “power supply attack” near the Tesla factory as a form of protest against the North American car manufacturer – the police are verifying the authenticity of the letter.
“Extreme exploration conditions”
“We sabotaged Tesla today,” the Vulkan group said in its letter. Police have received the confession letter, a spokesman said on Tuesday. Authenticity is being verified. The group of volcanoes was already suspected of having one in 2021 Arson attack in supplying energy to the Tesla construction site. At the time, she accused Tesla on the radical left website Indymedia.org of being neither green, ecological nor social. The group also accuses Tesla of “extreme exploitative conditions” and calls for the “complete destruction of the Gigafactory”.
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A burning electricity pole earlier caused a power outage in eastern Brandenburg, near Berlin. “We are investigating the initial suspicion that this was deliberate arson,” the police spokesperson said. According to police, the State Criminal Police Department has begun an investigation. They would be driven in all directions, a spokeswoman said. The electricity pole in question is free in a field and is not fenced. The automaker stated that arson was presumed and sent information to the responsible authorities.
Energy failure
According to police, the Fire Department responded to the fire around 5:15 am. Gosen-Neu Zittau near Berlin was called and began to put out the fire. According to a spokesperson, the fire caused a power outage in the area. Several media outlets reported the fire.
As Tesla continued, all measures were taken to protect production facilities. After consultation with electricity supplier Edis, the company is leaving Elon Musk does not assume that production will restart quickly. “We don't yet know when production will be able to resume. It will take more than a few hours.” The damage was in the millions, said the newspaper “BZ” citing Tesla.
Brandenburg Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) consequences announced in an opening statement. “If the initial findings are confirmed, it will be a perfidious attack on our electrical infrastructure,” said Stübgen. “This will have consequences.” Thousands of people were deprived of basic services and placed in danger. “The constitutional state will respond to such an act of sabotage with the utmost severity,” he said.
When questioned, authorities initially did not comment on a possible link to protests around the Tesla factory. Since Thursday, around 80 to 100 environmental activists have occupied part of the Brandenburg state forest, near the Tesla factory, which Elon Musk's company intends to clean up in the event of expanding its facilities. Activists have built around ten tree houses several meters high and have announced that they want to resist as long as possible. The Grünheide citizens' initiative also speaks out against Tesla's expansion plans and shows solidarity with the occupiers.
Localization criticism
Tesla has been manufacturing electric cars in Grünheide for almost two years. According to the company's most recent information, around 12,500 employees work there. Environmentalists criticize, among other things, the fact that the site is in a water protection area. In a citizens' survey in Grünheide, the majority turned against the expansion plans. Tesla also wants to expand production.