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Chancellor’s stalker sees himself as a peace activist

The man detained by German authorities for stalking Chancellor Angela Merkel sees himself as a peace activist and was trying to share his plan for peace in the Middle East, he said in an interview on Wednesday.

Chancellor's stalker sees himself as a peace activist
A photo of Merkel's weekend home. Photo: DPA

Daily Berliner Zeitung identified the alleged stalker as Christian J., reporting that he worked as a librarian and freelance journalist in Stralsund.

The man, who authorities detained for psychological treatment after he breached Merkel’s weekend home security two weekends in a row, told the paper that police guarding the house had not noticed him enter the property.

“When no-one opened the door in answer to my ring, I went into the garden, where I met the Chancellor, who was on the telephone,” the man told the paper. “I only gave her a letter and then left.”

Police at Merkel’s Uckermark region home in the state of Brandenburg reportedly observed the man leaving the premises, but did not detain him.

But when Merkel did not personally answer his letter, the man became upset and paid her home a second visit – when only her husband was home.

Christian J. told the paper that he did not see himself as a stalker, but as a peace activist, explaining that the letter he gave her was a peace plan for the Middle East.

On Tuesday, a government spokesperson told The Local that the authorities had detained a man for trespassing on the grounds of Merkel’s weekend home.

“Naturally security has its limits,” the spokesperson said. “It isn’t the case that the Chancellor is hermetically shielded from the public around the clock – she wants to lead a normal life. It’s always a balance.”

The man was already known to authorities, having been turned away from the Chancellor’s central Berlin apartment several weekends ago.

He was taken into custody last weekend, the spokesman said, adding that he was in psychological treatment.

DPAD/ka

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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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