What happened in Thun (Switzerland) on the night of Wednesday October 28 to Thursday October 29? A fire broke out in a building in the industrial zone, as reported by the site 24heure.ch. This place is not insignificant, since it houses the company Brügger & Thomet (B&T AG), which produces, among other things, the LBD 40 (defense bullet launchers) used by the French law enforcement agencies. Local authorities favor the criminal trail, while the social climate is tense in several neighboring countries.
“We respect the diversity of opinions, political convictions and the right to peaceful criticism, including when it targets our company or our sector of activity,” argues the company in a press release consulted by franceinfo. “What we will never accept, however, are violence, material damage, threats and intimidation as means of political or social confrontation.”
The cantonal police of Bern quickly favored the criminal trail, as of Friday, and launched a call for witnesses in this case, according to a press release from the Oberland regional prosecutor's office. The day before, the cantonal police explained that they had been informed shortly after 3:10 a.m. of this disaster which broke out in the armory. “The commercial building was already completely engulfed in flames when emergency services arrived,” police said. An investigation was opened to clarify the causes of the fire, which did not cause any injuries, and to establish the extent of the material damage.
“We have confidence in our rule of law”
The fire notably damaged the two upper floors of the building, according to on-site observations by Swiss journalists. “Due to the fire at B&T on October 29, our offices, store and shooting range will remain closed until further notice,” the company wrote on its site, particularly for its customers. “Recent events, in particular the destruction of our operating facilities, have deeply affected us,” Brügger & Thomet then clarified, in a press release obtained on Sunday by franceinfo. “They caused considerable damage.”
"Violence will not silence us. Threats will not divert us from our path. And destruction will not break our solidarity. We have confidence in our rule of law and are convinced that justice will be done."
The Brügger & Thomet company manufactures numerous weapons, ranging from rifles to submachine guns. On its site, it explains that it launched the production of the GL06 launcher in 2006, intended for law enforcement forces. “We remain united. We will not let ourselves be intimidated. We will not let ourselves be defeated. We will come back stronger,” the company continues in its press release, in a message addressed directly to those “responsible for these acts”.
An unauthenticated claim video
The environmentalist collective Les Soulèvements de la Terre claimed, Friday morning, to have received a one-minute video claiming responsibility for the action committed against the building. We can see what looks like a fire, in the middle of the bushes, with the words "LL06, LBD40, Brügger & Thomet" – the B&T LL06 grenade launcher is known in France under the name LBD 40, for 40 mm. “Swiss, France Germany with Gen Z”, also proclaims the clip, peppered with visual elements borrowed from the worlds of Pokemon and One Piece. At this stage, however, the authenticity of these images has not been established. The Bernese Attorney General's office has not yet responded to franceinfo's requests.
