Germany will not be cowed by Russian intimidation, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Friday, following the emergence of a plot to assassinate the chief executive of arms manufacturer Rheinmetall.
US intelligence reportedly discovered the alleged Russian operation to kill Armin Papperger, who leads the company that has produced artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine.
It was among a series of Russian plots to assassinate defence industry executives across Europe supporting Ukraine's war effort, CNN reported.
Washington informed Germany but its security services were able to protect Mr Papperger, it said.
"We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated by Russia and will continue to do everything we can to prevent Russian threats in Germany," Ms Faeser said.
One of the world's biggest producers of artillery and tank shells, Rheinmetall has not directly confirmed the reports but said in a statement that "necessary measures are always taken" for security, in regular consultation with security authorities.
The Kremlin denied the reports as fake, based on anonymous sources, and said they could not be taken seriously.
German defence group Hensoldt, which produces radar technology for the IRIS-T air defence system used in Ukraine, said it was reassessing safety measures.
The weapons division for Diehl, the German company that manufactures the IRIS-T and also produces ammunition, said it was monitoring the situation closely and would adapt its security measures if necessary.
In April the German authorities arrested two German-Russian dual citizens on suspicion of plotting sabotage attacks, including on US military facilities, in an attempt to undermine military support for Ukraine.
Germany also accuses Russia of the murder of an exiled Chechen-Georgian dissident in Berlin's Tiergarten Park in 2019. The killer, Vadim Krasikov, is serving a life sentence and the court ruled Russia was responsible for state terrorism.
"The Tiergarten murder already showed that Russia does not shy away from assassination attempts here either. We take reports of further murder plans very seriously," said Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.
"Our security forces are well positioned. Russia wants to weaken us, but it will not succeed: we are capable of defending ourselves."
Citing Kremlin documents obtained by a European intelligence service, The Washington Post this week said Russia was making extensive efforts to find recruits for sabotage attacks.
It said the files showed that in July 2023, Kremlin political strategists studied the Facebook profiles of more than 1,200 people they believed were workers at two major German plants – Aurubis and BASF in Ludwigshafen – to identify employees who could be manipulated into stirring unrest, the report said.
The Kremlin said the allegations of Russian sabotage activity were "no more than a stoking of Russophobic hysteria", the report said.
Rheinmetall's company value and Mr Papperger's public profile have surged with a defence spending boom after the Russian invasion.
Mr Papperger has repeatedly advocated more arms deliveries to Ukraine and urged the German government to increase defence spending to finance them.
In May 2023, Rheinmetall said it had set up a joint venture with Ukrainian state-owned conglomerate Ukroboronprom to build and repair tanks in Ukraine.
Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of current President Vladimir Putin, said Russia would retaliate by hitting any facility Rheinmetall set up in Ukraine.
Mr Papperger is accompanied by security guards whenever he goes. Questions over his personal safety were already in focus when his garden house was set on fire by who tabloid newspaper Bild said were far-left activists.
The Financial Times reported that the levels of protection for Mr Papperger were now similar to those for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The vice-chairman of the parliamentary intelligence oversight committee, conservative politician Roderich Kiesewetter, warned of possible further Russian attacks in Germany.
The foiled assassination attempt on Mr Papperger should "not obscure the fact that Russia has other targets in its sights and is using espionage, sabotage and targeted killings", Mr Kiesewetter told Handelsblatt.
"It is not for nothing that Russia was designated a terrorist state by a German court."
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
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World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
