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CRIME

German teenager raped on Turkish beach

A 17-year-old girl German girl has allegedly been raped on a beach by six men while on holiday in Turkey.

German teenager raped on Turkish beach
Photo: DPA

The girl, from the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, was apparently sexually assaulted in the coastal city of Side, the German Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday.

Two men, named by daily Bild as Ali Recep, 33, and Murat Eraslan, 31, have been remanded in custody and four others have been released on bail pending trial.

They face jail terms of up to 15 years.

Bild reported that the attack took place at 3:30 am Wednesday morning and that the young woman had a blood alcohol level of 0.198 percent (or 1.98 promille).

The Foreign Ministry spokesman declined to give further details, however, saying Germany wanted first to wait for the outcome of the investigation by Turkish authorities.

The girl was on holiday with her mother at the historic coastal city of Side, about 80 kilometres from Antalya. She is now back in Germany.

Her attackers were reportedly construction workers at a nearby mosque.

The investigation reportedly hinges on surveillance videos. Turkish media have reported that the girl had been alone on a beach following a party. She was initially attacked by two men, who were later joined by the other four.

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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