“We have seen that there have been attacks on people on European territory. We have seen that there have been attacks on factories. And this underlines once again that we as Europeans must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive,” she continued.
U.S. intelligence services discovered the plot to kill Papperger earlier this year, subsequently informing Germany, whose security services were then able to foil the plot, a senior German government official told CNN.
A Rheinmetall spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO that the company had been informed by the authorities about the foiled threat. He stressed that there had been no concrete attempt to murder Papperger but rather a “plot.”
Rheinmetall is Germany’s largest and most successful manufacturer of 155mm artillery shells, a critical asset for the Ukrainians in their war against Russia. The company is also opening an armored vehicle plant inside Ukraine in the coming weeks, a development which is concerning for Russia, according to CNN.
The German Interior Ministry declined to comment specifically on CNN’s report in an email to POLITICO, but a spokesperson said: “Our security authorities are very vigilant and act accordingly, in close cooperation with our international partners.”
“The Federal Government will not be intimidated by the Russian threats. We will continue to do everything in our power to prevent possible threats in Germany,” the spokesperson added. “The Russian regime uses threats such as cyberattacks, disinformation, espionage and sabotage.”
Source link : https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-plot-kill-arms-manufacturer-rheinmetall-ceo-armin-papperger-foiled-us-germany-cnn/
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Publish date : 2024-07-11 14:06:00
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