Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Austrian police are investigating a case of possible arson at a hunting lodge in Bach, Austria, near Innsbruck, that belongs to Daniel Vasella, CEO of phamaceutical giant Novartis. More than 100 firemen put out the blaze, which witnesses say broke out early 3 August out after a dull explosion was heard at the property. According to a Novartis spokesperson, a “professional fire accelerator” was used.

This comes after reports that Vasella’s mother’s grave in Chur, canton Graubuenden, was desecrated and the urn containing her ashes removed a week ago. Police confirmed the information 2 August.

At the cemetery in Chur, the letters HLS and SHAC were sprayed on the tomb, suggesting that members of an extreme animal rights group may have been involved. SHAC refers to Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty and HLS is the abbreviation for Huntingdon Life Sciences, near Cambridge in the UK, where animals are used for testing pharmaceutical products. SHAC has opposed pharmaceutical companies who use live animals to test products. Novartis employees and installations have been the target of attacks in the past.

Related: 20Minutes, NZZ (Ger)

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