Pink paint as self-defense Police thwart attack on Friedrich Merz's plane
They had planned an attack on Chancellor Friedrich Merz's private plane: Three people were arrested at a hangar in Germany - including a well-known face of climate protest.
22.01.2026, 22:40
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Three people have been arrested at an airfield in Germany for planning an attack on Chancellor Friedrich Merz's private plane.
- Among the suspects is the well-known climate activist Anja Windl, alias "Climate Shakira", who justified the action as "self-defense" against the climate crisis.
- The police were able to stop the action early on after a vehicle check.
Two women and a man were arrested on Thursday night at an airplane hangar with the private plane of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. They are said to have attempted to damage the head of government's plane, according to police and the public prosecutor's office. However, this did not happen. Merz is a hobby pilot.
The suspects, aged 23, 28 and 56, are alleged to have gained unauthorized access to the airfield premises. They were arrested there for trespassing. Among them was the German climate activist Anja Windl - known in the scene as "Climate Shakira".
Well-known climate activist among the accused
A group called the Resistance Collective issued a statement after the incident: They had wanted to take the plane out of circulation with pink paint in the long term. "We are acting in self-defense," Windl is quoted as saying. While the climate crisis escalates, Friedrich Merz is flying around in his own plane, according to her message.
The 28-year-old is considered a central figure in the Austrian climate protest. She had also protested against the start of coalition talks between the conservative ÖVP and the right-wing FPÖ and wrote on the outside wall of the ÖVP party headquarters: "You stink of brown shit". Austria then issued a two-year residence ban against her, but this has not yet become legally binding.
A suspicious car gave the operation away
According to the investigators, the trio was stopped early on Thursday in Arnsberg because a police patrol had noticed a car driving slowly in the area shortly beforehand. It had then been checked.
The occupant was known to be from the "left-wing activist spectrum", it emerged. He had inquired about an airfield nearby. The police then took measures at Arnsberg-Menden airfield and later arrested the three climate activists there.
The suspects were released from police custody at midday. "There are no grounds for detention," said the spokeswoman for the Arnsberg public prosecutor's office.
