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CRIME

Elderly German robs Danish bank with water pistol

An 80-year-old German-born man was placed in protective custody in Denmark on Friday for robbing a bank with a water pistol after his bank refused to let him repay an account overdraft in installments, police said.

The German man, who has lived in Denmark for nearly 50 years, walked into a Sydbank branch in the western town of Viborg on Thursday wearing dark glasses and carrying a cane. Pointing a water gun at the teller, he politely asked her to give him a bit of money.

“Don’t worry,” he said, according to media reports. “I don’t shoot people.”

He left the bank with a plastic bag filled with about 30,000 kroner (€4,000, $6,100), but only managed to walk some 300 metres (985 feet) before he was stopped by police. By that time, his booty had become worthless after an exploding cartridge placed in the bag by the bank clerk exploded, spraying the money – and his clothing – with red ink.

The man planned the hold-up after he overdrew his account when redecorating his new apartment in a retirement home and his bank refused to set up a repayment plan for him.

Police said it remained unclear whether the man had robbed his own bank. On Friday, the man happily accepted being sent to jail, telling the judge: “I don’t want to return to my apartment. I’m too ashamed.”

BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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