German police are investigating an arson attack after a power outage at a Tesla factory

Police are investigating suspicions of arson after a power outage led to consequences at a Tesla factory near Berlin.

Production has been halted at Tesla's only European factory since Tuesday morning. The factory in Gruenheide near Berlin was evacuated.

The “Volcano Group”, classified as far-left, claimed responsibility for the “attack on the energy source” near the Tesla factory in protest against the American car manufacturer – and the police are verifying the authenticity of the message.

“Harsh conditions of exploitation.”

“We sabotaged Tesla today,” Vulcan Group said in its letter. A police spokesman said on Tuesday that police had received the confession letter. Being validated. The volcanic group was already suspected to have one in 2021 Arson On the power supply to the Tesla construction site. At the time, Tesla was accused on the far-left website Indymedia.org of not being green, environmental or social. The group also accuses Tesla of imposing “extreme exploitation conditions” and calls for the “complete destruction of the Gigafactory.”

The burning of an electricity pole previously caused a power outage in the area east of Brandenburg, near Berlin. The police spokesman said: “We are investigating the initial suspicion that it was arson.” According to police, the state criminal police office has launched an investigation. A spokeswoman said they would be led in all directions. The electricity pole in question is free in the field and not surrounded by a fence. The car manufacturer said that it was assumed that an intentional fire had occurred and referred to information from the responsible authorities.

Power outage

According to police, the fire department responded to the fire at approximately 5:15 a.m Gosen-Neu Zittau near Berlin He was called and began extinguishing the fire. According to the spokesman, the fire caused a power outage in the area. Several media outlets reported on the fire.

As Tesla continued, every measure was taken to secure production facilities. After consulting with the electricity supplier Edis, the company leaves Elon Musk It is not assumed that production will resume quickly. “We don't know yet when production can start again. It will take more than a few hours.” BZ newspaper quoted Tesla as saying that the damage amounted to millions.

Brandenburg State Interior Minister Michael Stubgen (CDU) He announced the consequences in an initial statement. “If the preliminary results are confirmed, it will be an insidious attack on our electricity infrastructure,” Stubgen said. “This will have consequences.” Thousands of people were cut off from basic services and were exposed to danger. He added, “The constitutional state will respond to such an act of sabotage with all severity.”

When initially asked, authorities did not comment on a possible connection to protests around the location of the Tesla factory. Since Thursday, between 80 and 100 environmental activists have been occupying part of the state forest in Brandenburg near the Tesla factory, which Elon Musk's company wants to remove if it expands its site. The activists built about ten tree houses several meters high, and declared that they wanted to hold out as long as possible. The Grünheide Citizens Initiative also speaks out against Tesla's expansion plans and shows solidarity with the occupiers.

Criticism of the site

Tesla has been manufacturing electric cars in Grünheide for almost two years. According to the company's latest information, about 12,500 employees work there. Environmentalists criticize, among other things, the fact that the site is located in a protected water area. In a poll of citizens in Gruenheide, the majority turned against the expansion plans. Tesla also wants to expand production.