A Swedish 17-year-old has been arrested in Cologne on suspicion of planning a contract killing, according to German authorities. The case may be linked to an ongoing conflict within the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. Police seized a weapon following a tip from Sweden.
A 17-year-old from Sweden was arrested on October 11 in Cologne, Germany, suspected of planning a murder as a contract killer. According to Cologne chief prosecutor Ulrich Bremer, the teenager offered his services on social media and was subsequently recruited by an unknown person to kill an unidentified target with a firearm.
Police acted on a tip from Swedish authorities and raided the room the 17-year-old had rented. There, they seized a firearm and ammunition. The case is suspected to be linked to a bloody conflict within Cologne's motorcycle gangs that has raged for over a year, reports German media including WDR and Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.
Specifically, the plot may relate to a murder attempt last Saturday against a 36-year-old Hells Angels member, named Orhan A in media reports. The man survived a shooting targeting his Audi, where eight bullets pierced the windshield and he was severely injured. It was not the first attempt; in October, police found photos of the victim on the 17-year-old's phone and warned him after discovering three empty shell casings on his car. Despite the warning, he received no police protection.
German prosecutors emphasize that the tip arrived just in time. The 17-year-old remains in custody, and the case is under further investigation for possible ties to organized crime.
