The Volcano Group claims to be behind the German plant fire

Tesla’s “Dumbest” Eco-Terrorists, the “Volcano Group,” and the Grünheide Gigafactory

Production was halted at the factory after the attack on a nearby electricity pylon cut power to the facility. Reuters reports that production isn’t expected to resume until “at least early next week,” with the outage reportedly costing Tesla estimated losses in the “high hundred of millions of euros.” On X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk condemned the attack, referring to Volcano Group as “the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth.”

Andre Thierig, who manages 12,500 staff at the Grünheide Gigafactory, near Berlin, said it would take several days before production would be back up and running. He said the outage would cost “in the high nine-digit euro range,” meaning more than $100 million.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Thierig said, “We are very concerned about the safety of our employees,” adding, though, that the outage “had not posed any danger to people or the environment.”

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire at the pylon in the early hours of the morning, before it could spread to the Gigafactory. The power outage also affected the surrounding area, stretching as far as some boroughs in Berlin.

The “Volcano Group” posted a confession on the internet in which they called for complete destruction of the Gigafactory because they alleged that it eats up earth, resources, people and labor.

“These are either the dumbest eco- terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals,” Musk wrote on X. Using the German words for “extremely stupid,” he added that “stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm.”

German Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser issued a statement condemning the alleged attack on critical energy infrastructure, which she said is “a serious crime that cannot be justified by anything.”

The Vulkangruppe Tesla Abschalten: A group of left-wing extremists and a founder of the Gigafactory

Musk’s decision to base his most modern Gigafactory just outside Berlin has challenged Germany’s domestic automakers, which are struggling to keep up with the electric vehicle (EV) market.

A group of left-wing extremists claimed responsibility for the attack that took place outside of Berlin on Tuesday.

The group, which calls itself “Vulkangruppe Tesla Abschalten” (also known as “Vulcan Group” or “Volcano Group”), said in a statement posted to Kontrapolis.info that it aimed to cause “the largest possible blackout of the Gigafactory,” citing environmental and labor concerns as motivations behind the attack. (Google Translate was used to translate the letter from German to English. All quotes in this article are from that translation.)

German police believe that a letter signed by the Volcano Group is authentic, according to the news agency. A 2019 report (pdf) published by German authorities says that various crimes have been committed under the Vulkangruppe moniker following a surge in arson attacks on cars in 2011, with perpetrators often using the names of Icelandic volcanoes as an alias. The group also claimed responsibility for an attack in Grnheide during the construction of the Gigafactory.