When a crime designated the Gladbecker hostage drama, which began in August 1988 in a Gladbecker bank and which 3 humans fell to the victim. After a failed bank assault the two authors at different places of Germany took hostages, in order to continue their escape. The hostage drama excited much attention in the public, there some journalists the Geiselnehmer such as medium star treated.

Chronicle of the events

16. August

In the morning 16 of August 1988 penetrated the two which disguised and with a Colt M1911 A1 and a Smith & a Wesson guns armed author Dieter Degowski and Hans Rsner (at the time at that time 32 and 31 years old) before switch opening into a branch of the German bank in Gladbeck in North Rhine-Westphalia. The bank was in the atrium range of the business centre Rentfort north at the Schwechater road 38 and was accessible only from two sides. On the back high-altitude skylights, which spread on, were around which entire building complex leading supplying way led. The input area lay in one of the four considered Zugangsbereiche of the atrium. On the left and on the right the bank were further restaurants. Like that it possible for Degowski and from the bank were hardly to observe the potential escape routes. They had only a partial view of the atrium as well as a view of the two considered entrances to the atrium to the left side and to - far - the right side. The entrance on the left side led on the supplying way closed for traffic, that on the right side to the road.

Around 8:04 clock was received at the police the emergency call of a physician, who has its practice in the first upper floor of the same building part and which observed authors with the penetration into the bank unnoticed. The first arriving officials parked their police car directly before the entrance to the atrium, leading to the road. As Degowski and noticed they left the bank - first still without hostages - the vehicle immediately. They returned to the bank, took two bank employees as hostages and demanded an escape car and a ransom.

They delivered, in order to underline their demands, the first shots already here. A broadcasting station got the first interview.

They received 300,000 DM (153,388 euro) and an escape car after negotiations for hours. Around 21:45 clock they drove off with the hostages. Still in Gladbeck Marion commendable rose too, the friend

17. August

They drove over the motorway to Bremen, where they brought a regular bus with 32 passengers to Huckelriede in the local part on 17 August around 19:00 clock into their force and cold-bloodedly speech and answer stood for the press. Among the passengers also Silke Bischoff and Ines Voitle was, two friendly young women from Bremen.

After they had released five of the hostages, they drove the motorway with 27 hostages, this time up to the restaurant basic mountain lake. There the two bank employees were released.

It succeeded to the police to arrest Marion commendable temporarily. As reaction to it Degowski shot the Italian Emanuele de Georgi, since it did not succeed to the policeman in time to find the key for the handcuffs and release it. The bus continued to drive then into the Netherlands. With pursuit a policeman had an accident deadly, a further was heavily hurt.

18. August

In the morning 18 of August, around 2:30 clock, the bus crossed the border. Around 5:15 clock two women and three children were released. But the two authors got around 6:30 clock BMW a 735i as new escape car. As the hostages, the bus driver and Marion commendable tried to flee were hurt.

With the two remaining hostages from Bremen, Silke Bischoff and Ines Voitle, drove her in the Rhine country to Cologne. There they spoke around 11:00 clock with journalists and Passanten. Around 12:00 they continued to drive clock on the A3 toward Frankfurt/Main. Between Cologne and the restaurant victory castle rode along the journalist Udo in the escape car.

At a value of bath Honnef, briefly before the national border between North Rhine-Westphalia and Rheinland-Pfalz, intervened a special employment command of the North-Rhine/Westphalian police with a dramatic ramming maneuver and force of arms. Silke Bischoff was shot by by a shot, which pierced first the left wrist and the wrist-watch present on it exactly and met then in the heart. Ines Voitle was hurt by a touching shot at the back, when she jumped during the access out of the still driving car.

The ministry of the Interior of Rhineland-Palatinate had already asked the Federal Border Police (today federal police) for assumption of the action, and officials of the GSG 9 were available behind the border for the access.

Legal proceedings

Hans Rsner and Dieter Degowski became to 22. March 1991 of the regional court meal to lifelong detentions condemns. They came into North-Rhine/Westphalian prisons. Marion commendable got a detention of nine years, which served her completely.

2002 reject the higher regional court Hamm because of the special weight of the debt a premature release from custody of Degowski. The detention duration was specified on at least 24 years, so that it at the earliest in January 2013 will dismiss can.

request after premature dismissal rejected the higher regional court Hamm in January 2004. Likewise a detention was rejected, so that must serve its detention until February 2016. Since additionally preventive detention was arranged, it will not come also to serving its detention from the prison.

Political controversies developed, when Degowski got free courses by the city Werl. It was allowed to visit this city, in which the institute for detention lies, inconspicuously bound in company of two armed civil servant.

Public interest

By live-reports and interviews the television made the two criminals, the Dieter Degowski and the Hans Rsner medium star. The sensation-hungry behavior of the press caused indignation in the public. Also the tactics of the police was violently attacked. You were accused organisation errors and psychological Ungeschick. That of Bremen Senator of the Interiors Bernd Meyer withdrew because of police errors.

The behavior of the journalists in Bremen was generally wrongly evaluated. Due to the chaotic situation it succeeded to reach journalist the release from 5 hostages to. Also the release of the two bank employees on the restaurant basic mountain lake was reached by journalists in the discussion with

Also there was journalists, who brought the hurt one after the shot of Degowski on the young Emanuel from the kidnapped bus to the emergency surgeon.

Artistic processing

After Silke Bischoff designated itself a Dark Wave group, today calls itself it for legal reasons of 18 of buzzer, which refers to the age of Silke Bischoff at the time of its murder. The film terror 2000 of Christoph Schlingensief developed following the Gladbecker hostage drama.

The television film "a large thing" (of Bernd harming forest), radiated by ARTE and Second Channel of German Television 1999, represented the events of the taking of hostages in a mixture from Reality and drama.

Center of the 90's developed for the transmitter RTL a Doku drama over the events, in whatever took part directly to word came.

Related links

"The taking of hostages of Gladbeck as medium event" (study)

Articles in category "Gladbecker hostage drama"

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