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CRIME

Lawyer of suspected child killer criticizes Swedish police

The lawyer of a German woman being held in connection with the brutal murder of two children in Arboga in central Sweden has directed sharp criticism at the Swedish police.

Tanja Brettschneider said she was unclear as to why an analysis of her client’s DNA was not expected to be ready until early next week.

“Swedish police have taken an awfully long time to prepare an analysis of the DNA sample. That’s bad. It is very unusual here in Germany for a DNA result to take as long as this and we have not been presented with an analysis yet,” she told news agency TT.

Sweden’s Court of Appeal ruled on Tuesday not to remove the warrant for her arrest that led to German police taking the 31-year-old German woman into custody in Hanover.

“It is probable that she was in Arboga on the day of the murder,” said police spokesman Börje Strömberg, who pointed to evidence from security cameras at the town’s train station.

She is also believed to have used her telephone in Arboga on the day of the murders, according to an unconfirmed report in the Hannoversche Allgemeine newspaper.

The 31-year-old has refused to speak to two Swedish police officers who have travelled to Germany to question the suspect.

Two children, 1 and 3, and their 23-year-old mother were found with serious stab wounds at their home in Arboga in central Sweden on March 17th. The children later died from their injuries.

TT/The Local

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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