On the night of Thursday, September 3, several incendiary devices were thrown at a construction site in Munich, Germany. The Bavarian Criminal Investigation Service (LKA) assumes that it was an attempted attack on a defense company. The LKA, which took over the case, is currently investigating whether there was a political motive behind the action.
The spokesman for the criminal investigation service did not specify which company was in question. However, according to Bavarian Radio (BR), it is a construction site in front of the headquarters of the technology concern "Rohde & Schwarz". Among the areas in which the company operates are security technologies and communications for government agencies and the military. According to its website, it offers radio surveillance systems and scanners for military purposes, but also measuring equipment intended for civilian needs, as well as products in the field of cybersecurity.
What is known about the detainees
The incendiary devices were thrown at the construction site from a car around midnight. At least one of them caused a fire that was extinguished by police. There was no significant damage, according to police. Another incendiary device had to be defused by special forces.
A witness alerted the police to the incident. Later, law enforcement officers detained two people at a gas station. They are a 28-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man. According to information from BR, both are Bulgarian citizens. Police say they are currently investigating whether they are connected to the incident.
"Rode & Schwarz" confirmed, but remain restrained
The concern confirms the intervention of the police and the fire department. A spokeswoman for "Rohde & Schwarz" responded restrainedly to BR's inquiry. She emphasizes: "Our production site itself is not affected". The company does not want to comment publicly on the case for now.
In 2021, unknown individuals set fire to a power line in the vicinity of "Rohde & Schwarz". In a letter claiming responsibility and published on the Internet, the action was declared an attack on the "military-industrial concern". The crime at that time has not been solved to this day. The sabotage then led to a power outage for 20,000 households in the eastern part of Munich.
Germany - on high alert
After the foiled attack at Leipzig airport, for which German authorities officially blamed Moscow, Germany is on high alert. Security measures around critical, transport and energy infrastructure have been greatly tightened due to the real risk of further sabotage and new coordinated attacks on its territory.