NATO: Assassination plot against Rheinmetall CEO was part of Russian sabotage campaign

James Appathurai, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber, said that acts of sabotage across the military alliance in recent years have included threats to assassinate industry leaders, such as the head of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall.

He said this on January 28, during a speech in the European Parliament, Reuters quoted him as saying.

During his speech, Appathurai confirmed the threat to Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, which has so far been reported only by the media.

According to the NATO official, the sabotage campaign included “train derailments, arson attacks, attacks on politicians’ property, threats to assassinate industry leaders, such as the head of Rheinmetall, but there were other plots as well.”

Appathurai noted that in the past, the West has managed to stop Russia from committing sabotage by setting red lines at the highest level, as was the case when incendiary devices intended for DHL flights were found in a German warehouse.

He said that Russia “can be deterred” if “you define what your red lines are with each other and then communicate that effectively.”

The NATO official said that the West does not recognize the current level of sabotage, which NATO calls a record high, as normal, and that there is a clear understanding among Allies “that we need to be more decisive” in responding to repeated incidents in the Baltic Sea.

Rheinmetall is the largest and most successful German manufacturer of important 155mm artillery shells, which have become a key weapon in the war in Ukraine.

Earlier, supporters of the left-wing extremist RAF movement said that on the night of April 29, they burned down the garden house of Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, accusing him of “profiteering” from arms sales.

In July, CNN reported that the United States and Germany had prevented Russian plans to assassinate the CEO of the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall.

After that, Germany provided the highest level of security for Papperger.