Suspected attack:

Arson Attack on Defense Contractor in Bavaria

In Munich, incendiary devices are said to have been thrown at a construction site in front of the company’s headquarters.(Bild: Google Maps)

The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) is currently investigating a suspected attempted attack on the technology and defense company Rohde & Schwarz in Munich. Early Thursday morning, several incendiary devices were thrown from a moving car onto a construction site in front of the company’s headquarters.

An alert witness observed the incendiary devices being thrown in front of an extension to the company’s building around midnight and called emergency services. One of the devices ignited, but the fire was quickly extinguished.

Suspects Arrested
Twosuspects—a 28-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, both Bulgarian citizens—werearrestedat a gas station near the scene of the crime. The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA Bayern) suspects a politically motivated motive and has taken over the investigation.

Following the incident, police cordoned off a wide area around a street in the immediate vicinity of Munich’s Ostbahnhof (Berg am Laim district). No injuries are reported, and property damage is minor.

Sabotage Suspected
Investigators are now thoroughly examining the backgrounds of the two suspects as well as possible networks or those who commissioned the act—particularly with regard to acts of sabotage against the security and defense industries. No letter of claim has been received, and the suspects are currently being questioned.

Rohde & Schwarz is not only active in the defense sector but is also an electronics and technology group and a global market leader in various segments of high-frequency and measurement technology.

In the defense and security sectors, for example, the company manufactures tamper-proof radio and network systems, as well as systems for locating and detecting radio signals, radar, and drones. Encryption technologies for the armed forces, government agencies, and critical infrastructure are also part of its product portfolio.