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CRIME

Biker boss suspected in Bögerl murder

Police in the Czech Republic have arrested the German boss of the feared Bandido biker gang suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and murder of banker’s wife Maria Bögerl, media reported Friday.

Biker boss suspected in Bögerl murder
Photo: DPA

Austrian daily Krone reported that the biker boss, Marvin R., was arrested at the beginning of April in the Czech city of Budweis. He was wanted in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, the United States and South Africa on multiple charges of kidnapping extortion and at least one murder.

About a dozen crack special operations police raided a warehouse in the early morning on the outskirts of Budweis and grabbed Marvin R., 55, who had been hiding out there for months.

Marvin R. is believed to have been behind the kidnapping of Maria Bögerl, 54, and the subsequent botched extortion attempt, the paper reported. Bögerl’s body was discovered in woods near her home in the Heidenheim region of Baden-Württemberg last year, several weeks after she was kidnapped.

She was abducted from her home on May 12. A subsequent attempt to hand over €300,000 failed, and her body was found not far from the hand-over spot, on June 3.

Marvin R. was wanted in Austria in connection with a similar case – the botched kidnapping of the wife of a local bank branch manager in the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria in September last year.

Two men rang the doorbell at the family home, posing as beggars and, when the 61-year-old wife answered, they tried to hustle her into the house. However, the woman screamed at the top of her lungs and the men fled.

The Local/djw

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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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