Investigations - Cologne police see new dimension of violence
After the abductions and explosions in recent days related to a conflict among drug dealers, Cologne Police see "a new dimension of violence in the realm of organized crime." This has not occurred in Germany before, said Criminal Director Michael Esser today in Cologne. It has been one of the most complex operations that the police in North Rhine-Westphalia have had to deal with in recent years.
"Extreme Threat Scenarios"
The Cologne Police freed two hostages from the clutches of abductors on Friday. The ending of this hostage situation was extremely precarious. "There were extreme threat scenarios," said Esser. "We had to assume that machine guns were involved." One had to reckon with the fact that the perpetrators would kill the hostages. Three suspects had to be let escape to protect the hostages' lives.
The background of the abduction was organized crime in the drug trade, with extortion attempts in the works. In this context, several explosions at the end of June and beginning of July were also observed.
From the information exchange with Dutch police authorities, it was known that such threat scenarios had been building up through explosions in the Netherlands for a longer time. For NRW, this was the first time this had been observed in this dimension. "This is also the area that makes us very sensitive. We are putting all our efforts into apprehending the perpetrators."
Esser emphasized: "A new escalation of violence in the drug trade, in the realm of organized crime, has occurred, which can also have effects on bystanders. The explosives used in Cologne have, thankfully, caused no injuries." This was also due to a fortunate coincidence, as no one was in the hallway at the time. "In the Netherlands, no regard is taken for bystanders, and bystanders are sometimes seriously injured or even killed."
- The recent hostage-taking incident in Cologne, attributed to drug-related conflicts, has prompted Police Director Michael Esser to acknowledge a new level of violence in organized crime within North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- During the resolution of the hostage situation last Friday, Michael Esser highlighted the presence of "extreme threat scenarios," suggesting the involvement of machine guns and a possible intent to harm the hostages.
- The abduction was tied to organized crime in the drug trade, with extortion attempts underway, and several explosions in late June and early July were reported as part of this conflict.
- Prior to these incidents, similar threat scenarios had been developing in the Netherlands through a series of explosions, according to information exchanged between German and Dutch police authorities.
- The escalation of violence and threat scenarios in North Rhine-Westphalia marks a new dimension for the region, as it has never before witnessed such intense conflict and harm to bystanders in connection to organized crime and drug trade.
- Reflecting on the potential consequences of this situation, Esser pointed out that while no injuries resulted from the explosions in Cologne, bystanders in the Netherlands have suffered serious injuries or fatalities due to the disregard for bystander safety in such conflicts.
