Far-wing radicals set fire to Rheinmetall CEO’s house in Germany over aid to Ukraine

Bild reports.

Allegedly, left-wing radicals set fire to the garden house of Armin Papperger, the head of the Rheinmetall arms company, in Hermannsburg, Lower Saxony. They claimed that the reason was the company's supply of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They called the company one of the beneficiaries of the so-called tipping point. This term (Zeitenwende) is used by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to describe the war in Ukraine.

The radicals published a letter of confession on the Indymedia platform.

"On the night of April 28-29, 2024, we installed an incendiary device on Armin Papperger's garden house," the statement says.

The letter states that Rheinmetall is one of the beneficiaries of the so-called tipping point and that the company is accumulating various old types of tanks that can now be sold to Ukraine with ammunition and at a high profit.

"Rheinmetall does not just plan, produce, and kill on a national scale," the letter added.

Local rescuers received a report of the fire at 04:16. The incident is being investigated by the police department for state security. Law enforcement officers are also investigating the authenticity of the message left behind.

For reference: Rheinmetall is one of the world's largest producers of artillery and tank shells. The company began to increase production after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

• On February 17, Rheinmetall announced plans to open an ammunition plant in Ukraine as part of a joint venture with a Ukrainian partner.
• And on March 14, Papperger said that the concern plans to build at least four weapons plants in Ukraine.
• In addition, Rheinmetall proposed to create an analog of the Iron Dome for Europe.