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CRIME

Police hunt father who ‘shot daughter and wife’

Police launched a nationwide man hunt on Wednesday night for a fugitive who is suspected of killing his daughter and shooting his wife.

Police hunt father who 'shot daughter and wife'
Photo: DPA. A body is taken away following the shooting.

The father-of-three is wanted for shooting his 19-year-old daughter and leaving his wife with life-threatening injuries in the attack in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia.

A police spokesman told The Local that the man had been known to officers for years. He added that they had been called out to his house to reports of domestic violence, among other offences, many times.

“We are pretty certain that he shot his wife and daughter,” said spokesman Lars Lindemann. He added that every officer in the state had a photo of the man – thought to be around 50-years-old.

Officers arrived shortly after 7.30pm on Wednesday after shots rang out in the family’s third floor flat. There they found his 19-year-old daughter dead and his 45-year-old wife in a critical condition. Two other girls in the home were not hit and have been taken to safety.

“It could be that he has left the area, so we have widened the search to across the country,” Lindemann added.

“There was often trouble here,” said a neighbour. A group of people gathered around the building late on Wednesday evening to light candles. Others were outside as the young woman’s body was carried out of the flat.

Officers believe the man could still be armed. “We have been knocking on the doors of friends and people who know the man, and have a number of leads to work with,” police spokesman Peter Elke said.

The Local/DPA/jcw

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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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