Arson Attack on B&T

You can’t miss this fire. Smoke hangs over Thun this morning; B&T was struck during the night leading into Thursday. The company was completely destroyed by the fire. No one was injured, but no suspect has been apprehended. The damage is estimated at 12 to 20 million francs. The fire was a terrorist attack; the claim of responsibility points to the unrest in France. B&T was targeted because it manufactures rubber bullet launchers for the French police.

Company CEO Karl Brügger spoke to the Swiss magazine BLICK CH: “It looks like a war zone,” he said. Brügger estimates the damage at 12 to 20 million Swiss francs. “Fortunately, we’re insured. Our very existence isn’t at risk.”

A video is circulating online that purports to show the alleged perpetrators during the attack. It shows people dressed in dark clothing moving through some bushes, lighting an incendiary device, and throwing it at a shed made of wooden pallets. From there, the fire is said to have spread to the company building. The footage is being circulated as a possible claim-of-responsibility video. It is making the rounds in French-speaking anarchist circles, among others, and has also been shared by Instagram accounts associated with the radical left in Bern. 

A video featuring a letter of claim leaves no doubt: this is indeed a targeted action carried out in solidarity with the social movement. Set to Billy Joel’s song “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” the video shows a flood of colorful images, flames, pop culture references, and clips of police violence and injured people. Small and right in the middle are shots of the perpetrators approaching and throwing Molotov cocktails. Accompanying this is the message “Swiss, France, Germany, in the street with Gen Z.” The slogan “Fuck LBD” or “LL06”—the other name for the 40mm launcher—appears flashing.

According to the Bern Cantonal Police, it is not yet clear whether the video is authentic. They are not currently providing any further information on possible suspects or the extent of the damage. The investigation is being conducted in all directions, with arson as the primary focus. Beyond this police rhetoric, there is little doubt as to the group responsible. B&T is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to acts of sabotage against defense contractors: ELBIT in Germany, Switzerland, and England; an arson attack on the Rohde & Schwarz corporation in Munich; an attack on the power grid in Berlin targeting a defense industry cluster; and burning Bundeswehr trucks in rural Germany.

The possible motive is clearly stated in the video: the LBD 40 rubber bullet launcher from B&T. Back in 2019, the “Gilets Jaunes” movement had already called for a blockade of the company. Brügger rejects the allegations made in the video that the device causes disproportionate injuries. According to him, the French police are not using the appropriate ammunition for the LBD 40. Furthermore, he states that they do not source the cartridges from B&T, but rather from the French manufacturer Alsetex.

B&T supplies equipment to police forces in Switzerland and other European countries. In his message to the alleged perpetrators, company CEO Karl Brügger states that neither the destruction of the building and machinery nor financial losses or threats will cause the company or the industry to give up. They will not be intimidated.

B&T online