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CRIME

Frankfurt police hunt gunmen after broad-daylight shooting

Police are hunting for unknown gunmen who shot and seriously wounded two men in broad daylight in central Frankfurt on Thursday.

Frankfurt police hunt gunmen after broad-daylight shooting
Police forensics officers examine the victims' car, with bullet holes clearly visible in the windscreen. Photo: DPA

The two victims were climbing out of a white Mercedes SUV on Friedrich-Stoltze-Platz in the late afternoon when the attackers opened fire.

They had been sitting outside a cafe just metres away from the Zeil pedestrian zone, one of Germany's busiest shopping streets.

Large numbers of heavily-armed officers were immediately dispatched to the scene, where the victims' car could be seen standing with several bullet holes in its windscreen.

Officers are now hunting for a black estate car which they believe to have been the getaway vehicle.

A pistol lies on the ground at the scene of the shootout in Frankfurt. Photo: DPA

A motorbike and a firearm were both recovered from the scene and have been taken in for forensic tests.

Investigators told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that they had ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack and were focusing on possible links to organized crime.

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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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