Tesla’s Gigafactory near Berlin halted production on Tuesday after an arson attack near it that the automaker’s CEO, Elon Musk, called “extremely stupid,” according to Reuters.

The fire engulfed an electric pole near the Tesla factory southwest of the German capital, but did not spread to the factory and was extinguished by German firefighters. However, a Tesla spokesperson said production has been halted and staff evacuated as a precaution.

Local media published a letter from the ultra-left activist organization “The Vulcan Group”, which claimed responsibility for the incident. The group attacked both Tesla and its boss in a 2,500-word letter.

German police said they were aware of the letter’s existence and were verifying its authenticity.

“These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth, or they are puppets of those who have no environmental goals,” Musk responded on X, the social media platform he has owned since October 2022.

“Stopping the production of electric cars instead of those that use fossil fuels is extremely stupid,” he added, using the German word for “extremely stupid”.

German authorities are threatening tough measures after the fire that also affected the Tesla factory

“If the preliminary findings are confirmed, this will be a treacherous attack on our electrical infrastructure,” said Michael Stübgen, the interior minister of the state of Brandenburg, where the Tesla plant is located.

“It will have consequences. Thousands of people here have been left without basic services and are at risk,” he threatened, adding that the local authorities would react “in the most severe manner.”

However, he warned against jumping to conclusions about possible criminals and asked for patience until the investigation is completed.

E.ON said its staff were carrying out repairs on the damaged pole and said electricity had been restored to surrounding communities, with the exception of the industrial site and logistics centre.

Elon Musk personally opened the gigafactory in Berlin in May 2022, after Tesla invested 5 billion euros in a factory with 12,000 employees and a separate one for the production of electric batteries.

Gigafactory Berlin faced more serious difficulties earlier this year, announcing on January 12 that it was suspending production for 2 weeks due to a lack of necessary parts as a result of the lengthening of logistics chains, the consequences of attacks by Houthi rebels on merchant ships passing through Red. sea.