Berlin, 12 July 2024 (dpa/MIA) - German politicians voiced their outrage on Friday after a report by US broadcaster CNN detailed an alleged Russian plot to assassinate the head of German arms maker Rheinmetall, which has provided critical military aid to Ukraine.

According to the CNN report, which was published on Thursday, US intelligence uncovered Russian government plans earlier this year to assassinate Armin Papperger, the chief executive of Rheinmetall.

Citing "five US and western officials familiar with the episode," CNN said German authorities were notified of the plot and subsequently increased security for Papperger at the time.

The broadcaster said a German government official confirmed that Berlin had received the warning. Rheinmetall has not yet commented on the report.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser was among politicians from across the country's political spectrum reacting to the alleged plot on Friday. "We are taking the significantly increased threat of Russian aggression very seriously," she said, adding: "We will not be intimidated."

Faeser said Germany has ramped up protective measures in the face of Russian threats since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "We will continue to do everything we can to prevent Russian threats in Germany," the minister stated.

Opposition figure Roderich Kieswetter, a former member of Germany's armed forces, called on the government to strengthen the country's intelligence agencies in the wake of the plot.

"It's about enabling our intelligence services to provide better reconnaissance," Kiesewtter told public broadcaster ZDF on Friday.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in comments on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday that Russia is waging a hybrid war of aggression. Both individuals and companies have been attacked on European territory, she said.

In further reaction, the chairman of the Defence Committee in the German parliament, Marcus Faber, told the Bild tabloid that the attack showed "once again that Russia is also bringing its war and terror to Europe."

"The Putin regime is now also seeking the lives of German citizens," Faber added.

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Roth, told Bild that Russian President Vladimir Putin "is not only waging a war of annihilation against Ukraine, but also against its supporters and our values." Roth called for a German response that mirrors "the rigour of the democratic constitutional state."

German defence policy expert Serap Güler, from the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told Bild: "In my opinion, our response to this can only be increased support for Ukraine."

Rheinmetall : a critical supplier for Ukraine

Rheinmetall is one of the largest European suppliers of armour, technology and artillery shells for Ukraine and, according to its own account, the largest manufacturer of artillery ammunition in the Western world.

In June, the company opened a repair workshop for armoured personnel carriers in western Ukraine. It also has plans to produce new tanks.

Rheinmetall's Papperger, who has openly criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is said to have had personal security for some time.

According to CNN, the foiled assassination attempt against Papperger was part of a series of planned attacks on the leadership of arms makers across Europe that supply Ukraine with weapons.

Photo: archive