WWII bomb find sparks security review near Tesla's German factory

German authorities were on Thursday mulling the creation of a restricted area near the controversial Tesla plant just outside Berlin after an unexploded wartime bomb was found in the outlying forest, reported dpa.

The same woodlands have been occupied since February by environmental activists protesting against the expansion of the electric car factory located in Grünheide in the state of Brandenburg.

The bomb dating to World War II was found in the area of the planned enlargement, Nico Bauermeister, head of Grünheide's public order office, told dpa.

It was unclear whether the protesters' camp with several tree houses would have to be evacuated.

According to Bauermeister, discussions were under way about how large the exclusion zone would need to be to safely detonate the bomb.

Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen warned in April that the woods could be contaminated with old explosive ordnance, which in turn created a dispute with the environmental authorities.

"We consider the risk to be very high," Stübgen told the state parliament's interior committee at the time.

He called on the state's environment minister, Axel Vogel, to have the risk of explosive ordnance in the state-owned woodland clarified.

Tesla's only European plant, which opened around two years ago, is located close to the forest.

The car manufacturer wants to expand its site to include a goods station and logistics areas. Activists see considerable environmental risks in the plans because the site is located in a water protection area. They also oppose the imminent deforestation.