German police investigating suspected arson at Tesla site

In a letter posted online, the extreme leftist Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) claimed responsibility for the suspected attack on Musk’s Gigafactory.

At Tesla’s ‘Gigafactory’ site in Germany, Elon Musk comes up against green activism and red tape

“We sabotaged Tesla,” the letter read. It said the attack was a “gift” for March 8 — International Women’s Day. The letter described the attack on the factory and “technofascists” like Musk as a step toward “liberation from patriarchy.”

Authorities are checking the authenticity of the letter.

Musk tweeted that “these are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals.”

Emergency services were called in the early hours of Tuesday following reports of a burning electricity transmission tower close to the site of the electric car manufacturer. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, but local residents were without electricity for several hours.

In a statement, Tesla said that the production facilities were in a “safe state” and that workers were sent home. The production stop pushed Tesla stock into the red, however, with shares at a 2.5 percent loss in premarket trading on Wall Street.

Michael Stübgen, regional interior minister for the state of Brandenburg, warned of consequences if the suspicions of arson turn out to be true.

“If the initial findings are confirmed, it will be a perfidious attack on our electricity infrastructure,” said Stübgen. “This will have consequences. Thousands of people here have been cut off from basic services and put in danger.”

Tuesday’s blackout came as Tesla assesses its plans to expand its only European site by 170 hectares (420 acres) and double production to as many as 1 million cars per year.

The expansion has been met with criticism from locals and environmentalists, however. Since Thursday, dozens of protesters have built treehouses and occupied part of a forest that would have to be razed to make way for the project. Local residents also rejected the plans in a nonbinding February ballot.

The electric carmaker, which began production at the site in 2022 after an uphill two-year approval and construction process, is no stranger to opposition in the area.

In 2021, the same Volcano Group was suspected of carrying out an arson attack on the power supply at the Tesla construction site. At the time, the group accused Tesla of not being green, ecological or social.