Arson attack on construction site in Munich: Two suspects in custody

Berlin/Munich. After the arson attack on a construction site near a defense company in Munich, two suspects are in custody. The 28-year-old Bulgarian and her compatriot, who is ten years older than her, are charged with property damage and attempted arson, as announced by the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office. They are said to have thrown incendiary devices from a car. An investigating judge issued the arrest warrants.

No one was injured in the crime on Thursday night and no major damage was caused. A witness observed the alleged perpetrators, and the police later arrested the two suspects at a gas station. There are no other suspects yet, a spokesman for the State Criminal Police Office said. As part of the investigation, investigators searched three apartments in the Munich district and seized “numerous items,” according to the statement. The authorities did not provide any details.

The headquarters of the security technology manufacturer Rohde & Schwarz and the drone manufacturer Helsing are located in the vicinity of the construction site. In the case of the latter, it is publicly known that the company supplies the Ukrainian armed forces in the war against Russia.

It is not clear whether the companies were the target. One of the incendiary devices started a fire, which police officers extinguished. A second incendiary device was defused. However, the investigators and Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) assume a political background. That's why the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office took over the investigation. The Bavarian central office for combating extremism and terrorism is located at the authority.

Bavaria and the greater Munich area have always been among the centers of the German arms industry. Rohde & Schwarz is not a defense company in the strictest sense. The family company produces measurement and safety technology, but has a military division.

Helsing produces, among other things, AI-controlled combat drones. According to the security authorities' assessment, the threat to the German arms industry has increased as a result of the war in Ukraine. According to figures from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs from last year, a third of nationwide sales in this area came from companies based in Bavaria. The industry employed 45,000 people in the Free State. Both sales and employee numbers are growing because the European NATO states have significantly increased their defense spending.

The attack is part of a series of acts of sabotage against companies and important facilities across Germany. That is why the federal government, in coordination with the states, is now discussing new powers for drone defense and further protective measures. This was announced by a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

Among other things, the question is whether and how operators of critical infrastructure and other security-relevant facilities will fend off drones themselves in the future. The legal background: Since the state has the monopoly on violence in Germany, an airport, for example, is not allowed to shoot down a threatening drone itself.

Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced a new state law that should enable companies to ward off such attacks. “The critical infrastructure of private operators is increasingly becoming the target of criminals - that is why private providers also need increased options for defending against such attacks,” said Söder to the German Press Agency in Munich. Bavaria is therefore planning “immediately” a law to protect critical infrastructure. He emphasized: “We protect our high-tech and security companies.” In addition to factory fire brigades, there will also be factory security guards who will take on this task in the future.

Critical infrastructure includes, among others, energy suppliers, hospitals, telecommunications and railways. The Federal Act to Strengthen the Physical Resilience of Critical Facilities (Kritis Umbrella Act) came into force on March 17th. However, after five and a half months, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, led by CSU politician Alexander Dobrindt, has not yet issued the corresponding executive order. According to the Interior Department, the ministry is working “hard” on the regulation. Laws regulate the basics; in more complex cases, legal regulations determine how the administration should implement the regulations.