Fire at Rheinmetall construction site in Calden – Claiming letter surfaces
Following a fire that destroyed three construction machines at the Rheinmetall construction site at Kassel-Calden airport, a claiming letter has appeared on the internet. The domestic intelligence service suspects a political motive.
Fire at Rheinmetall construction site – Claiming letter under examination
According to hessenschau.de, a claiming letter has appeared on the internet in connection with a construction site of Rheinmetall at Kassel-Calden airport. The letter was published on a platform classified by the domestic intelligence service as left-wing extremist and is being intensively examined by police.
Three construction machines caught fire on the site overnight on Friday. According to police findings, the fire was deliberately set. A witness noticed the fire at around 3.15 am and alerted police. When the emergency services arrived, the machines were already ablaze; further equipment standing nearby was damaged during extinguishing operations.
The domestic intelligence service is investigating on suspicion of a political motive. The crime scene was cordoned off for forensic examination. The officers have so far made no statements about the exact extent of the damage. Police continue to seek witnesses.
A new commercial district is being developed on the grounds of the former airfield. Rheinmetall is planning a logistics and drone testing centre there and is investing more than 260 million euros for this purpose; the state of Hesse is contributing a further 25 million. Whilst business representatives and the state government support the expansion, there are critics who do not wish to see the airport function as a "military hub for Rheinmetall".
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)