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CRIME

Man kills himself during fire-fight with police

An autopsy on Sunday showed that a man killed himself during a fire-fight with police in the western German town of Mannheim on Saturday. Questions had been raised about who had fired the lethal shot.

Man kills himself during fire-fight with police
Photo: DPA

Police were called to the scene when the 39-year-old threatened his landlord with a firearm during an argument. Police say the man had previously been suspected of gun and explosive-related crimes and was considered mentally unstable.

Officers in civilian clothes initially kept surveillance on the man’s flat, but a fire-fight broke out when the suspect attempted to flee. He ran down the road and pulled a gun out of his rucksack. According to the police’s account, the man pointed his gun at an officer, whereupon another officer shot him twice in the leg.

The man then apparently shot himself in the head and died instantly, though this was established only by the autopsy carried out on Sunday.

The man was carrying several dozen rounds of ammunition, while a rifle and more ammunition were found in his flat. The police also checked his flat for explosive booby-traps, but found none.

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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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