“We could never have imagined this kind of damage.”

And suddenly, a fire. Following an act of arson, the Swiss arms manufacturer B&T in Thun was gutted by fire—SPARTANAT reported. In a video claiming responsibility, the perpetrators cited the fact that B&T supplies the French police. We spoke with company founder Karl Brügger and wanted to know what the next steps would be following the attack.

SPARTANAT: Mr. Brügger, when were you alerted that there was a fire? What was your first reaction?

Karl Brügger: I’d prefer not to comment on the exact timing and sequence of the alert. In the first few hours, our main concern was whether anyone was in danger. The fact that no one was injured was a huge relief for all of us.

What was it like to see the devastated company for the first time?

We had never completely ruled out such a scenario. However, we could never have imagined that the property damage could be this severe. The company premises were protected by a fence, video surveillance, and an appropriately secured building envelope. Ultimately, though, even our comprehensive protective measures were powerless against a fire of this magnitude. The fire affected our main building, including the production and storage areas. The situation is very stressful for our employees. We are keeping them closely informed about what is already known and what the next steps will be for them.

There is a video claiming responsibility that establishes a clear connection: B&T manufactures a launcher for rubber bullets and tear gas ammunition used by the French police. Couldn’t we have been warned (especially since the far-left scene had already been campaigning against this beforehand)?

The earlier calls for protest in connection with the French police’s use of the LBD 40 were well known. We have no reliable information linking these calls to the fire in Thun or from which a concrete warning for our facility could have been derived in advance.

In posts from left-wing circles, the fire is portrayed as an attack and, in some cases, justified or downplayed. We clearly condemn this. We cannot currently confirm whether the video circulating online shows the actual sequence of events or whether the connection claimed therein exists. It is the responsibility of the investigative authorities to determine the cause of the fire, identify any potential perpetrators, and clarify their motives.

B&T is well insured; the company will rise again. Will the attack have consequences for the future? When will B&T be fully operational again?

The fire has had significant consequences for our operations in Thun. The previously mentioned range of 12 to 20 million Swiss francs remains an initial estimate of the property damage. We are not currently providing any details regarding individual insurance payouts.
We are assessing the damage and determining, for each department, under what conditions it can resume operations. Our goal is to gradually resume operations. It is not yet possible to say with certainty when the Thun site will be fully operational again or what the reconstruction process will look like in concrete terms.

Defense contractors are vital to the future of our society because they provide the military and police with what they need to defend democracy. At the same time, we are seeing an increasing number of attacks on such companies. What needs to change?

We take our responsibility as a supplier to the police and armed forces seriously. It is part of a democracy that the equipment used by security agencies and the role of their suppliers be discussed publicly and critically. Threats and violence against companies or their employees are unacceptable.

I hope that this line is clearly drawn in the public debate. Anyone who goes to work in the morning should be able to feel safe there. That is why it is important to take specific threats seriously and for companies and authorities to cooperate quickly when concrete evidence is presented.

And, of course, we are learning from this incident and will incorporate the relevant insights into our deliberations.

The attack: All Fired Up for B&T

B&T AG’s statement on the arson attack – HERE on SPARTANAT

LBD 40: It All Comes Down to the Ammunition

B&T online