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CRIME

Fight over bills sparks deadly shooting

UPDATE: A man who killed two people and injured five others in a shooting on Tuesday went on the rampage following an argument about utility bills.

Fight over bills sparks deadly shooting
Photo: DPA

The 71-year-old, who was a member of a shooting club, opened fire during a meeting of property owners in a restaurant attached to a sports club in the town of Dossenheim, Baden-Württemberg.

The state prosecutor said on Wednesday that the pensioner killed an 82-year-old and 54-year-old after accusing the other residents of betraying him over bills.

He then shot himself in the temple.

Among the five people injured was his 70-year-old wife. He reportedly shouted “I will kill you all,” as he stormed into the room firing the pistol, police said.

He had been a member of a shooting club for decades but never came across the police’s radar until Tuesday night.

Eight people were in the room when the shooting began. He even followed one of his victims onto the terrace of the restaurant. Police said he fired 17 bullets in total.

Following the shooting, Baden-Württemberg interior minister Reinhold Gall called for large calibre weapons to be banned in the state.

DPA/tsb

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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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