crime
Arson on police cars in Munich shortly before the G7 summit
Two police team buses are parked in front of a hotel in Munich. Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
It was clear to everyone that things could get turbulent around the G7 summit. Now there was an incident that particularly alarmed the police. Eight team buses burned in Munich in the middle of the night.
Shortly before the G7 summit in Bavaria, several police cars were set on fire in Munich on Wednesday night. Investigators speak of an arson attack.
A political motive and a connection to the summit meeting is clearly assumed, said Munich police spokesman Andreas Franken. Eight team buses including police equipment burned, the property damage is estimated at several hundred thousand euros. Nobody got hurt. Nevertheless, the act caused horror.
“Every attack on the police is an attack on our rule of law,” emphasized the chairman of the police union (GdP), Oliver Malchow. In the worst case, anti-democratic forces would even accept deaths in order to achieve their goals. Malchow called for the perpetrators to be punished consistently to the full extent of the law. This would be a signal that attacks on the state and its representatives would not be tolerated.
Manhunt unsuccessful
Investigators and rescue workers were on site with a large contingent, helicopters supported the search for possible perpetrators. Initially, however, there were no indications of suspects. “Of course we assume that this is a fire offense related to the G7 meeting, since the forces for this mission were here in Munich,” said Franken. One determines also in the left-wing extremist spectrum.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) only declared on Monday that she saw no concrete threat to the summit. The police still want to check the protective measures for their officers and adjust them if necessary. It is true that such actions against the police as representatives of the state were expected in advance. “But that makes the whole thing a lot more tangible,” explained Franken.
Protest platform “Stop G7 Elmau”: Not involved
Franz Haslbeck from the protest platform “Stop G7 Elmau” explicitly distanced himself from the act. He assumes that no organization from the alliance was involved, he told the German Press Agency. Haslbeck emphasized that “Stop G7 Elmau” stands for peaceful protest. According to the group, it coordinates actions such as a protest camp in the vicinity of the summit. The concerns of the activists are global justice and climate protection.
The team buses of the federal riot police were only parked that same night in front of a hotel where emergency services for the summit were staying. At 3:00 a.m. the report about the fire was received by the Munich police. A local resident reported loud popping noises that would have roused him from his sleep. “A murder clamber” was that. The police initially gave no information on the exact course of the crime.
Manipulation of power distribution boxes
It is not the first incident related to the meeting at Schloss Elmau, which begins on Sunday and for which the highest security precautions have already been taken. On Tuesday, some dangerous manipulations of power distribution boxes became known within the security area around the conference venue. Smearings were also spotted, such as “Move G7” and “No G7”. Here, too, the police assumed that the crimes were politically motivated.
In addition, secret police documents from the 2015 summit, which was also held at Schloss Elmau, had become public. Faeser reacted calmly and said the publication had no influence on the current operational planning. She expects activities more from the left-wing extremist side, but they are not excluded from the Corona protests or in connection with the war in Ukraine.
A 59-year-old Viennese caused a stir on Monday. He was traveling in an ultralight with his 26-year-old son. A few kilometers from the conference venue at Schloss Elmau, the two-seater began to spin. The occupants were able to make an emergency landing with the help of a parachute rescue system and were unharmed. The investigators ruled out a connection to the G7 summit.
The summit meeting is planned from Sunday to Tuesday at the now hermetically sealed Elmau Castle near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Heads of state and government from the USA, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada will meet under the leadership of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).