Suspected arson attack on Munich defense companies fails

A suspected arson attack near two Munich defense companies failed after police extinguished one fire and specialists defused a second incendiary device.

Passers-by alerted police around midnight after seeing several devices thrown from a car on Mühldorfstraße in Berg am Laim. Rohde & Schwarz and Helsing have sites nearby, but investigators have not established whether the attack targeted one company or both.

According to Munich police, one device ignited a fire that arriving officers put out. Another did not ignite and was later rendered safe by specialists from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, which has taken over the investigation. The area around the device was sealed off over a wide perimeter during the operation.

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It happened during the past night that police and fire services were deployed in the vicinity of our Munich premises.

Authorities have not said how many devices were found or what type they were. Police also deployed sniffer dogs at the scene. A political motive is being examined.

An immediate search led to the arrest of two suspects at a nearby Esso station on Innsbrucker Ring: a 28-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man, both Bulgarian nationals. Investigators are examining whether they were involved, and police said they had not yet spoken. A report by Bavarian public broadcaster BR said the devices were thrown toward a construction site in front of Rohde & Schwarz’s headquarters, but the State Criminal Police Office did not confirm that the company was the target. Helsing’s headquarters stand across the street. Rohde & Schwarz said only that police and firefighters had responded around its Munich premises, which itself was not affected.

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At the present time, we do not wish to comment publicly.