SEK frees hostages by force in Cologne
Special Operations Commando (SEK) of the police have rescued two hostages from kidnappers in a residential area in Cologne-Rodenkirchen. Four suspects were reportedly arrested during the raid on Friday afternoon, a police spokesperson said in response to inquiries. The hostages had been injured and received medical treatment.
According to reports, the kidnapping began on Friday morning in Bochum. The origin of the crime was in the realm of organized drug criminality, the spokesperson added. There was a tip-off that led the SEK to the Rodenkirchen neighborhood. There was no danger to bystanders during the raid in the residential area.
The police initially made no further statements regarding the victims, the alleged kidnappers, and the background of the crime. The WDR reported, citing police circles, that both the perpetrators and the victims were from the drug criminal scene. The victims were reportedly a man and a woman.
The background of the kidnapping was said to be a dispute over a large drug deal. It involved several hundred kilograms of hard drugs. The police had been investigating the case for a longer period. The SEK intervened on Friday as there was an imminent danger to the lives of the hostages. The storming of the house in the single-family home area in Rodenkirchen took place just before the EM match between Germany and Spain. In addition to the SEK operation in Rodenkirchen, there were reportedly raids and arrests at one or more other locations. No information has been released about the origins of the suspects and victims yet.
- The organized crime involved in the kidnapping was believed to have international connections, as suggested by the large quantities of drugs involved and the transnational nature of drug trafficking.
- The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been alerted about potential money laundering activities linked to the international drug syndicate, as substantial funds were reportedly moved through various financial channels.
- The police believe that this incident in Cologne is not an isolated case and that it is part of a broader network of organized crime dealing in illegal drugs, with implications reaching beyond German borders.
