Suspected arson attack in Berlin leaves 50,000 homes without power

BERLIN (Reuters) - About 50,000 households in Berlin were without electricity on Tuesday following a suspected arson attack on two pylons in a southeastern district of the German capital in the early hours, police and the grid operator said.

Police spokesperson Anja Dierschke said a political motive cannot be ruled out, and that a special division tasked with solving politically motivated crimes was leading the investigation.

Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel cited unnamed sources as saying police were investigating whether the attack was linked to Tesla's announcement that it planned to build a development centre in the Treptow-Koepenick district, where the suspected arson took place.

According to the report, police see parallels to a 2024 arson attack on a pylon by a far-left militant group calling itself the "Volcano group shutting down Tesla" that halted production for days at the carmaker's factory outside Berlin.

Asked about the report, Dierschke said a connection between the attack and Tesla's announcement could not be ruled out.

Tesla did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Authorities in Berlin have blamed a number of arson attacks in the city since 2011 on similar left-wing groups.

(Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by Helen Popper)

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