Gladbeck hostage crisis
Encyclopedia
The Gladbeck hostage crisis was a hostage-taking in August 1988 after an armed bank raid in Gladbeck
, Germany
. Two men with previous criminal records, Dieter Degowski and Hans-Jürgen Rösner, went on the run for two days through Germany and the Netherlands
.
On 18 August 1988 the hostage situation was ended in a police operation on an Autobahn. Three people were killed during this crisis. The whole episode was played out in the media in Germany and the Netherlands.
in the district of Rentford-Nord in Gladbeck before opening hours.
At 8:04 am an emergency call by a chance witness notified the police. A parked police car was seen by the offenders as they left the branch, so far without hostages. They went back into the bank and took two clerks hostage, demanding a car and a ransom
. To enforce their demands they fired several times.
A radio station conducted a first interview with them.
After several hours of negotiations the abductors were given 300,000 DM and a white Audi 100
as a getaway car. At 9:45 pm the getaway started. Marion Löblich, the girlfriend of Hans-Jürgen Rösner (who was one of the robbers), boarded the car in Gladbeck.
, the abductors stopped in the district of Huckelriede and hijacked an ordinary public-transit bus with 32 passengers at 7:00 pm on 17 August. The media interviewed the abductors and the hostages without any interference from the police. Some hostages even had a pistol pressed against their throats.
After the release of five hostages, the bus was driven to the Autobahn service area of Grundbergsee. The two bank clerks were released there.
Two police officers arrested Löblich, who was using the toilet. Demanding an exchange, Degowski and Rösner threatened to kill a hostage every 5 minutes. After expiration of the ultimatum
they shot a 15-year-old Italian boy in the head. Löblich was released minutes later because of a broken handcuff key. However, the boy died after 20 minutes because there was no ambulance attending the situation.
After this incident the bus was driven to the Netherlands. During the chase a police car collided with a truck, leaving one police officer dead and another injured.
. The getaway car had been prepared by the police so that the engine could be stopped by remote control. Whilst attempting to escape, Löbich and the bus driver were injured.
During a stop in Wuppertal
the abductors shopped in a pharmacy.
Having stopped in a pedestrian area in Cologne
at 11:00am, the car was surrounded by media and shoppers. Some reporters offered to guide the abductors on their way or to hand them pictures of police officers to prevent trickery if hostages were exchanged. A reporter guided the abductors to a nearby rest area on an Autobahn and accompanied them for several kilometers.
On the A3 close to Bad Honnef
, a few kilometres before the state border between North Rhine-Westphalia
and Rhineland-Palatinate
, a police car crashed into the getaway car and rendered it undriveable at 12:00am. This led to a gunfight and the death of one of the hostages. After that the abductors were arrested.
The remote control to stop the car engine was not used since the police officers claimed to have forgotten to take it with them. Across the state border, a special task force (GSG9) was in position waiting to take action.
and received life sentences. Löblich was sentenced to 9 years. In 2002 the Higher Court in Hamm
ascertained "guilt of a very serious nature" and Degowski's sentence was increased to 24 years . In 2004 the same Higher Court refused an application for parole and a request by Rösner to shorten his sentence. The court also declared a state of "preventive detention" ("Sicherungsverwahrung") and therefore Rösner is unlikely to be freed after the end of his sentence.
As a result, the German Press Council (Deutscher Presserat) banned any future interviews with hostage-takers during the hostage situation
Gladbeck
Gladbeck is a city in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.The name ´Gladbeck´ evolves from Low German, originally spoken in the area around Gladbeck. ´Glad´ means something like gleamy and ´beck´ means about brook. However, the brook Gladbeck flows under the ground...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Two men with previous criminal records, Dieter Degowski and Hans-Jürgen Rösner, went on the run for two days through Germany and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
On 18 August 1988 the hostage situation was ended in a police operation on an Autobahn. Three people were killed during this crisis. The whole episode was played out in the media in Germany and the Netherlands.
16 August
In the morning the two armed and hooded offenders forced entry into a branch of the Deutsche BankDeutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
in the district of Rentford-Nord in Gladbeck before opening hours.
At 8:04 am an emergency call by a chance witness notified the police. A parked police car was seen by the offenders as they left the branch, so far without hostages. They went back into the bank and took two clerks hostage, demanding a car and a ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
. To enforce their demands they fired several times.
A radio station conducted a first interview with them.
After several hours of negotiations the abductors were given 300,000 DM and a white Audi 100
Audi 100
The restyled C2 Audi 100 was launched in 1976, with an in-line five-cylinder engine...
as a getaway car. At 9:45 pm the getaway started. Marion Löblich, the girlfriend of Hans-Jürgen Rösner (who was one of the robbers), boarded the car in Gladbeck.
17 August
After driving on the Autobahn to BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, the abductors stopped in the district of Huckelriede and hijacked an ordinary public-transit bus with 32 passengers at 7:00 pm on 17 August. The media interviewed the abductors and the hostages without any interference from the police. Some hostages even had a pistol pressed against their throats.
After the release of five hostages, the bus was driven to the Autobahn service area of Grundbergsee. The two bank clerks were released there.
Two police officers arrested Löblich, who was using the toilet. Demanding an exchange, Degowski and Rösner threatened to kill a hostage every 5 minutes. After expiration of the ultimatum
Ultimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
they shot a 15-year-old Italian boy in the head. Löblich was released minutes later because of a broken handcuff key. However, the boy died after 20 minutes because there was no ambulance attending the situation.
After this incident the bus was driven to the Netherlands. During the chase a police car collided with a truck, leaving one police officer dead and another injured.
18 August
At 2:30 pm on August 18, 1988, the bus entered the Netherlands. At 5:15 pm two women and three children were released, after the Dutch police refused to negotiate if children were held hostage. At 6:30 pm Rösner and Degowski got a BMW 735iBMW 7 Series
The BMW 7 Series is a line of full-size luxury vehicles produced by the German automaker BMW. Introduced in 1977, it is BMW's flagship car and is only available as a sedan or extended-length limousine...
. The getaway car had been prepared by the police so that the engine could be stopped by remote control. Whilst attempting to escape, Löbich and the bus driver were injured.
During a stop in Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
the abductors shopped in a pharmacy.
Having stopped in a pedestrian area in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
at 11:00am, the car was surrounded by media and shoppers. Some reporters offered to guide the abductors on their way or to hand them pictures of police officers to prevent trickery if hostages were exchanged. A reporter guided the abductors to a nearby rest area on an Autobahn and accompanied them for several kilometers.
On the A3 close to Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef
Bad Honnef is a spa town in Germany near Bonn in the Rhein-Sieg district, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the border of the neighbouring state Rhineland-Palatinate...
, a few kilometres before the state border between North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
and Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, a police car crashed into the getaway car and rendered it undriveable at 12:00am. This led to a gunfight and the death of one of the hostages. After that the abductors were arrested.
The remote control to stop the car engine was not used since the police officers claimed to have forgotten to take it with them. Across the state border, a special task force (GSG9) was in position waiting to take action.
Trial
On 22 March 1991 Rösner and Degowski were pronounced guilty by the regional superior court of EssenEssen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
and received life sentences. Löblich was sentenced to 9 years. In 2002 the Higher Court in Hamm
Hamm
Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...
ascertained "guilt of a very serious nature" and Degowski's sentence was increased to 24 years . In 2004 the same Higher Court refused an application for parole and a request by Rösner to shorten his sentence. The court also declared a state of "preventive detention" ("Sicherungsverwahrung") and therefore Rösner is unlikely to be freed after the end of his sentence.
Aftermath
On 20 November 1988 the Minister of the Interior of Bremen Bernd Meyer resigned over mistakes by the police.Conduct of the media
This was the first incident in Germany with direct interference by representatives of the media. The media were severely criticized for their handling of this situation, for example for conducting interviews with hostages.As a result, the German Press Council (Deutscher Presserat) banned any future interviews with hostage-takers during the hostage situation
External links
- Deutsche Welle: The Gladbeck Hostage Drama
- NY Times: Hostage Dies as German Drama Ends, published on 8/19/88
- NY Times: Killings in German Hostage Incident Stir Dispute, published on 8/28/88
- http://rhein-zeitung.de/on/98/08/11/topnews/glad1.html Ten years after. News story with pictures and links
- http://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/gladbeck-ich-war-feige_aid_323612.html