Near Stuttgart
Investigations after fatal shots in the Mercedes factory
A police vehicle leaves the factory premises at Gate 5. photo
© Julian Rettig/dpa
A man shoots at two colleagues, they die – this is what is said to have happened on Thursday in a Mercedes-Benz factory. The suspect is in jail. Important questions are open.
After fatal shots at the Mercedes plant in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart, the motive of the alleged perpetrator is particularly open. “Investigations into the background to the crime are ongoing,” said the police and public prosecutor on Thursday evening. The 53-year-old Turk is said to have shot two colleagues – all employees of the logistics company Rhenus – on Thursday morning.
A magistrate at the Stuttgart District Court issued arrest warrants for manslaughter in two cases against the man. He was taken to prison on remand. The two dead are said to be two 44-year-old men.
Group is affected
Mercedes-Benz said it was “deeply dismayed and shocked” by the crime. Production in Hall 56, where the crime took place, remains stopped for the time being. “We have decided to stop work here until the end of the week,” said a spokesman for the carmaker. There should be no work up to and including Sunday. How many employees are affected remained open.
The hall had been released by the authorities, said the spokesman. It is a company decision. Production is to continue on the rest of the factory premises.
“Of course we are shocked and deeply affected by this tragic incident,” said a spokeswoman for the Sindelfingen works council. His thoughts are with the families of the two victims. “You have our sincere and deep condolences.”
The factory security had overpowered the suspect. The police were then able to arrest the man without resistance. According to the investigators, this happened a few minutes after the first emergency call was received, which the emergency services had received around 7:45 a.m.
The questions of what kind of weapon it was and how it got onto the factory premises are also open. In addition, the police and the public prosecutor’s office will have to clarify, among other things, whether there were conflicts between the three men beforehand or what could have triggered the crime. The criminal investigation department of the police headquarters in Ludwigsburg is conducting the investigation.
The Sindelfingen plant of Mercedes-Benz has a history of more than one hundred years. Around 35,000 employees work there. In addition to the E-Class, the S-Class and its electric counterpart EQS also roll off the assembly line in Sindelfingen.