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CRIME

Neo-Nazis in attack part of German-Swedish connection

Neo-Nazis wanted for a violent attack on trade unionists at a German motorway rest stop last weekend are reportedly part of a German-Swedish network of far-right extremists.

Neo-Nazis in attack part of German-Swedish connection
The demonstration in Dresden Photo:DPA

A report in Der Spiegel this weekend says one of the suspects was once among the leaders of ‘Blood and Honour Scandinavia,’ part of an international network of neo-Nazis.

Ralf Mohrmann from the Gera state prosecutor which is leading the investigation, said that an arrest warrant has been issued for one of the three Swedes on the bus involved in the attack.

All 41 passengers on the bus are being investigated on possible assault and trespass charges.

The German police stopped the bus – which had been hired by a German member of the NPD – after the attack on the trade unionists. The trade unionists and the fascists had been demonstrating on opposing sides in Dresden on the anniversary of the World War II allied bombing of the city.

But the magazine reports that although the names and addresses of all those aboard were taken, they were allowed to continue on their way because the extent of the injuries inflicted in the attack had not yet become apparent.

A 42-year-old man from northern Hesse had suffered a fractured skull and had to be operated on. Four others were also injured, some seriously.

German security sources told the magazine that Swedish extremists had close connections to the ‘Action Office Rhein-Neckar’ which joins up neo-Nazi groups from south Hesse, Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg.

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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