German police are investigating possible arson at the Tesla site

BERLIN (Reuters) – German police are investigating whether a fire that broke out overnight at the construction site of Tesla’s first European gigafactory had a political motive after far-left activists claimed responsibility.

In the fire in Grünheide in the east of Brandenburg early Wednesday morning, several power cables to the Tesla site and an area of ​​around three square meters were damaged, said a spokesman for the LKA State Criminal Police Office.

The spokesman said arson was not ruled out and investigators were reviewing a letter shared on social media Wednesday claiming responsibility.

The letter, published on a radical left-wing platform, said it had cut off power to the Tesla site by setting fire to six overhead high-voltage cables.

“Tesla is neither green, ecological nor social,” the letter said, according to the LKA spokesman.

Tesla, which said it could produce up to 500,000 Model Y cars annually at the site, postponed the opening of its Gigafactory to the end of 2021 from its original July 1 date after adding plans to build a battery cell factory there.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has complained about the red tape in Germany required for lengthy approval processes after construction of the factory was delayed by environmentalists concerned about local wildlife and water resources.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers, Editing by Emma Thomasson/Mark Heinrich)