10.10.2019

Crane arson – terrorist attack?

Three cranes were set on fire on a construction project in Leipzig, eastern Germany.

The cranes, a mix of All Terrain and tower cranes, were being used to help build apartments in the city, and were unmanned when the attack occurred during the night of German unification celebrations. The incident – which the police said has created up to €10 million worth of damage - was allegedly caused by extreme protesters, with the police are treating it as a terrorist attack. In addition, gas cylinders were said to have repeatedly detonated on the site while firefighters were attempting to gain control of the fires. An adjacent apartment block had to be evacuated, while a neighbouring garden was closed.
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The scene of the fire around midnight

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Contractor CG Gruppe has repeatedly been a target of attacks over the years, ranging from graffiti to its vehicles being set on fire.
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The scene the morning after

Leipzig mayor Burkhard Jung said: “We are confronted here with a massive act of violence in which the perpetrators acted in cold blood without regard to the lives of their neighbours. This is a terrorist attack that the state must respond to with complete consistency.”
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An All Terrain crane from the Wiemann fleet was just one of two mobile cranes that suffered serious damage from the fire