How the Russians planned to kill the head of Germany's largest arms company

2024-07-12 20:37:23Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Armin Papperger, head of Rheinmetall

German politicians reacted with horror to CNN's report of Russian plans to kill Rheinmetall boss Papperger. What is the truth?

A report by the American television network CNN about the planning of an assassination attempt on the head of the large German metal company Rheinmetall, Armin Paperger, planned by Russia, has caused great concern in the German public and among the politicians here. "This shows once again that Russia is bringing its war and terror to Europe," Defense Committee chairman Markus Faber (FDP) told Bild newspaper. "Putin's regime is now demanding the lives of German citizens," he said.

The head of the German Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Roth (SPD), told a German tabloid that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is waging "not only a war of destruction against Ukraine, but also against Ukraine's supporters and against our values."

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) defense expert Serap Güler asserts: "In my opinion, our reaction to this can only be to increase support for Ukraine."

Part of a series of attacks across Europe?

CNN reported that the US secret services have discovered the Russian government's plans to kill Papperger earlier this year (2024). With these plans, she has notified the German side, while Papperger has been placed under protection.

CNN cited five officials from the US and other Western countries familiar with the situation. A German government official confirmed to this American television station that Berlin had received the appropriate warnings from the US.

The newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung" has also confirmed these data. Referring to its sources, the newspaper claims that the information is correct. According to the report, the uncovered plot was part of a planned series of assassinations of executives of arms companies across Europe. The attacks were planned in particular against the heads of companies whose weapons are used to support Ukraine's defensive war against Russia.

Strong response required

The information about these plans was also published by the newspaper Spiegel. While German ecologists call for a decisive response. Konstantin von Notz, the Greens' security expert, says that Germany's reactions to similar incidents "in the past were often very hesitant and slow": "We have to understand that these are no longer isolated incidents, but targeted threats and serious attacks by various authoritarian states on our democracy and rule of law," he told the Funke media group.

While the Rheinmetall concern itself has not yet commented on these data./ DW


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