Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger under constant personal protection following attack plans

Paris, Kassel, Unterlüß, Aschau am Inn, Düsseldorf. Armin Papperger is in a hurry. It's June in Paris, it's hot and the Rheinmetall boss now has to rush to the Croatian stand at the Eurosatory arms fair. “They’re already waiting,” his assistant admonishes him. Papperger had sat together with Jens Plötner, State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense, and exaggerated. “All right, then let’s run over quickly, it’s only a few meters,” says Papperger, already on the way out of the Rheinmetall pavilion.

“You’re not going anywhere,” a man dressed in black with a button in his ear stops the 63-year-old. He is one of Papperger's bodyguards. “We have to take the car.” Papperger pauses briefly: “Really now?” he asks, but quickly realizes that any discussion is pointless. “Yes, it has to be.” Papperger gets into the armored limousine that takes him to the Croatian stand, less than 500 meters away.

One of Germany's currently most influential corporate bosses cannot move freely - even at closed trade fairs like Eurosatory: After Russian attack plans against the Rheinmetall boss became known in 2024, he will be protected like Chancellor Friedrich Merz, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at home, on the move, everywhere.