In a message posted online, the far-left group Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) claimed responsibility for the fire at Musk's Gigafactory.
“We sabotaged Tesla,” the message read, calling the fire a “gift” for March 8 – International Women’s Day. The letter described the attack on the factory and “techno-fascists” like Musk as a step towards “liberation from patriarchy.”
The authorities are verifying the authenticity of the message.
“These are either the stupidest eco-terrorists on the face of the Earth or they are puppets of those who do not have good environmental goals,” Musk tweeted.
Emergency services were called in the early hours of Tuesday after reports of a transmission tower on fire near the electric car manufacturer's site. Firefighters put out the fire, but local residents remained without electricity for several hours.
Tesla said in a statement that production facilities were in a “safe condition” and workers had been sent home. However, the production shutdown pushed Tesla shares into the red, with shares losing 2.5% in pre-market trading on Wall Street.
Interior Minister Nancy Weiser said that such an attack on Germany's electricity infrastructure is a “serious crime that cannot be justified by anything.”
“If a far-left motive is confirmed, this is further evidence that the far-left scene does not shy away from attacks on critical energy infrastructure,” she warned.
The power outages came as Tesla evaluates its plans to expand its only European site by 170 hectares (420 acres) and double production to up to 1 million cars a year.
But the expansion has been met with criticism from local residents and environmental activists. Since Thursday, dozens of protesters have built treehouses and occupied part of the forest that must be cleared to make way for the project. Local residents also rejected the plans in a non-binding vote in February.
The electric car maker, which began production at the site in 2022 after a grueling two-year approval and construction process, is no stranger to dissent in the region.
In 2021, the same Volcano Group was suspected of carrying out an arson attack on the power supply at a Tesla construction site. At the time, the group accused Tesla of being environmentally insensitive.
