Cologne police have raided a Hells Angels hideout in the Ostheim area, seizing a cache of firearms. The raid follows an attempted attack by the Hells Angels on a rival gang in central Cologne.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. von Erichsen
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A spokesperson for Cologne police said on Thursday that authorities had seized a large cache of guns and knives from a Hells Angels hideout the night before.
Around 100 heavily armed police officers broke into the hideout in the Cologne district of Ostheim, using an armored vehicle to breach the steel gate.
Authorities encountered 12 gang members inside, the spokesperson said, who were questioned at the scene. The search operation went on through the night into early Thursday morning, with police saying they would provide further information later in the day.
The spokesperson said police were looking for evidence related to an attempted attack carried out two weeks ago by around 40 Hells Angels members in central Cologne. The Hells Angels had targeted the birthday celebration of the leader of the Bandidos, a rival gang.
Hells Angels members had tried to force themselves through a police barricade into the Bandidos hideout. A number of gang members were arrested after the incident and charged with breaching the peace.
dm/msh (dpa, AFP)
Contentious biker garb
Two members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang sued because they weren't allowed to wear their club's jackets after some local chapters of their gang had been banned.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
'Fat Mexican' not welcome
The "Fat Mexican," the trademark of the Bandidos motorcycle club, stands for trouble. A chapter was banned from the western German city of Aachen due to violence and illegal gun ownership in 2012. It followed a ban of the Neumünster group in 2010. But does that mean members of other chapters are not allowed to wear club jackets in public? Germany's Federal Court of Justice is set to decide.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
A fight against a fine
Two Bandidos in Germany took their case to the courts after being fined for wearing club vests - despite the fact that their local chapters had not been banned and had not broken any laws. Members of the Hells Angels, the other large motorcycle club in Germany, have found themselves in the same situation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kraufmann
The dreaded winged death head
Displaying the Hells Angels' signature winged skull, the "death head," in public, can lead to criminal charges - that's despite only certain chapters of this club being banned in Germany. The rational behind this is that authorities don't want people flaunting symbols for a gang that is involved in violent and illegal activities.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. von Erichsen
More than a piece of clothing
Should the court sustain a general ban, it would be a punch to the gut of clubs like the Bandidos and the Hells Angels. After all, the leather vest with club insignia is part of a member's identity and a badge of honor. Insiders can even tell what status a member holds in his group by looking at the different patches on the vest.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Hannibal
A means of intimidation
For the police, the jackets have less romanticized connotations. Authorities associate the leather vests with intimidation and illegal activities. In 2013, Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office said one in eight trials was connected to motorcycle clubs. Crimes included assault, drug and weapons trafficking and prostitution.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J.W. Alker
Illegal insignia?
Opponents of a general ban of the vests criticize its underlying concept of guilt by association. A German criminal law professor recently wrote that the policy of "persecution" of members of non-banned chapters urgently needed to be changed. Whether wearing the "Fat Mexican" or a winged skull is reason enough to be taken in by police will be decided on Thursday.
