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CRIME

Teen sentenced for faking neo-Nazi assault

A teenage girl in the eastern German state of Saxony was sentenced to 40 hours of community service on Friday for falsely claiming she had been assaulted by neo-Nazis.

The court in Hainichen said prosecutors had proved 18-year-old Rebecca K. had misled authorities into believing she had been attacked in the town of Mittweida one year ago.

The girl claimed last November that she had tried to help an immigrant girl who was being accosted by right-wing extremists. But after she intervened the neo-Nazis turned on her and carved a swastika on her hip.

Police investigated the alleged crime, but quickly began to doubt Rebecca’s story. She was sentenced to carry out her community service at an organisation working against right-wing extremism.

Although content with the verdict, chief prosecutor Bernd Vogel said the case was “a defeat for everyone” because the incident would serve as “grist for the mil of certain groups,” referring to the neo-Nazi scene.

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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