Hostage-taking and explosions - a dispute between drug gangs?

Organized crime - Hostage-taking and explosions - a dispute between drug gangs?

A Special Operations Command (SEK) team rescued two hostages from kidnappers in a residential area of Cologne on a Friday. The police and prosecutor's office announced on Monday that the kidnappings could be linked to a feud among drug dealers. Several explosions in Cologne, Engelskirchen, and Duisburg at the end of June and beginning of July could also be related. The trail leads to the Netherlands. Explosions as a tool in the realm of organized crime are no longer unusual in the Netherlands. However, there is no evidence of a political motive, according to the police and prosecutor.

The six suspects, aged between 22 and 29, who were arrested during the hostage rescue, are reportedly in custody according to police statements since the weekend. Five of the accused are suspected of joint kidnapping and aggravated bodily harm. The sixth suspect is accused of aiding and abetting the kidnapping and violating the weapons law. A seventh suspect was later arrested in Engelskirchen. He is also suspected of involvement in the kidnapping.

The prosecution and police assume that the motives "lie in the realm of organized drug trafficking." According to the current investigation, it is about a violent confrontation between two gangs following a drug deal, where drugs worth millions were allegedly stolen. "The intensive investigations, which also lead to the Netherlands, are ongoing." They are also investigating whether there are connections to an explosion in Solingen on June 25. There, a man had dropped a bottle with a substance in front of a shop, causing an explosion that seriously injured the man. He died a few hours later in the hospital.

1. The hostage-taking incident in Cologne might be connected to the series of explosions in North Rhine-Westphalia, including Engelskirchen and Duisburg.
2. The police and the public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia are investigating if the drug gang involved in the hostage-taking is responsible for the explosions.
3. The Special task force in Cologne is working closely with their counterparts in the Netherlands to uncover the links between the hostage-taking and the drug trafficking network.
4. The explosion in Solingen, which resulted in a fatal injury, could also be linked to the drug gang involved in the hostage-taking.
5. The police and prosecutor's office in Germany believe that the crime in Cologne is a consequence of a feud among drug dealers operating in different residential areas.
6. The police in Duisburg and Cologne are collaborating with their counterparts in Engelskirchen to identify the criminal elements involved in the hostage-taking and the explosions.
7. The public prosecutor's office in Cologne is seeking international cooperation to bring those responsible for the hostage-taking and the associated crimes to justice.
8. The city of Duisburg, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, has been affected by the criminal activities of the drug gang, including the series of explosions and the hostage-taking.

Read also:

• Severe flooding continues in southern Germany.
• Floods continue to pose a major threat in southern Germany.
• Rising floods in the southern regions
• Floods: water levels remain critical in many places