Three construction vehicles burned at Rheinmetall site in Kassel-Calden, police suspect arson

Three vehicles burned overnight

During the night to Friday, 30 October, three construction vehicles caught fire on a building site at Kassel-Calden airport in Hesse, central Germany. A witness saw flames at about 3:15 a.m. on the ground south of the B7 federal road and alerted the fire brigade and police. When officers arrived, three construction machines were already burning, and other machines standing nearby were damaged as firefighters tackled the blaze. The fire was put out at around 5 a.m., and the crime scene has since been cordoned off for forensic work.

Police probe a possible political motive

Police say the fire was set deliberately, based on first findings. Because a political motive cannot be ruled out, the Kriminalinspektion Staatsschutz, the state security unit of the Nordhessen police headquarters, has taken over the investigation. Officers have not established who is behind the fire or what lies behind it. Investigators are asking witnesses to come forward. A police spokesperson did not give an estimate of the damage on Friday morning.

The site and the investment

According to police, the plot is where Rheinmetall plans a logistics and training centre and a drone test centre. Rheinmetall and the state of Hesse presented plans for a "Defence Hub Nordhessen" at the end of August. Rheinmetall intends to invest more than 260 million euros in its Kassel plant and at the airport, and Hesse adds a further 25 million euros. The logistics centre is among Rheinmetall's largest infrastructure investments in Germany and is due for completion by the end of 2027.

Political debate over the airport

Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein (CDU) announced at the time that the state wanted to establish the airport more firmly as a military hub. Business representatives and the state government welcomed the logistics and drone centre. Critics reject expanding the airport into what they call a military hub for Rheinmetall. The investigation into the fire is at an early stage, and no suspect has been named in the sources.