Left-wing extremist group claims attack on German Gigafactory: “We sabotaged Tesla today”

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The so-called ‘Gigafactory’ of car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide, Germany, was evacuated on Tuesday, after a fire in an electricity pylon and subsequently a bomb alarm. German media report this. The left-wing extremist group ‘Vulkangruppe’ has claimed responsibility for the “attack on the power supply”.

The fire broke out at around 5:15 am on Tuesday morning at the Steinfurt electricity station, near the factory. The police were able to quickly detect the source of the fire with the help of a helicopter. “Three fire brigades, employees of the electricity supplier, and the police are present,” the emergency services said.

However, efforts to extinguish the fire were quickly halted as firefighters reportedly found a tent of protesters near the burning mast with a sign warning of hidden “explosive ammunition.” The bomb squad was called and is currently on scene. The fire brigade can only extinguish the fire again after they have been given the green light. Due to the power outage, production at the car factory has come to a standstill, and many families in the region are without electricity.

Climate activists

It was soon suspected that climate activists might be behind the attack. A group of around 80 to 100 activists has been holding a protest in a forest east of the factory for several days, after a majority of the local population spoke out against Tesla’s expansion plans.

The left-wing extremist group Vulkangruppe claimed responsibility for the “attack on the power supply” on Tuesday afternoon. “We sabotaged Tesla today,” the statement said. The police in the German state of Brandenburg have started an investigation.

Vulkangruppe was already suspected of arson in the power supply for the construction site of the Tesla factory in 2021. On left-wing radical websites, the group accused the American manufacturer of electric cars of not being green, not ecological, and not social.

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