Germany: Police vs speeders, bikers; terrorists on trial – DW – 08/19/2025
Police arrested a swerving speeder on a stretch of southern German autobahn after alerts from motorists.
Clocked driving at 220 kph (137 mph), the driver had a blood-alcohol content of 4.16 and his co-pilot knocked out the testing device.
Nine individuals have gone on trial for "membership in, or support of, a terror organization" for their ties to the so-called Reichsbürger movement, a far-right anti-government group seeking to overthrow Germany's federal government.
Meanwhile, a former far-left RAF terrorist is also on trial for her role in a 2016 robbery in which an armored bank truck was attacked with an RPG.
Police in Germany carried out large-scale raids in three states on Tuesday in an effort to gather evidence of criminal behavior by regional motorcycle gangs.
Raids were carried out in the eastern states of Saxony and Thuringia as well as the southern state of Bavaria.
The Thuringia State Criminal Police Office said the raids, which targeted residential and commercial properties as well as storage facilities, were designed to find evidence supporting charges of extortion.
Thuringia's state Interior Ministry says the southern part of the state has become a hotbed of biker activity, though statistics show that it is responsible for a small number of biker-related crimes carried out nationally.
Though officials say the groups are not considered a larger security threat, they remain vigilant to crimes committed by individuals associated with them, noting that gangs and members are very active on social media, organizing larger events.
Police in the western German state of Hesse arrested a speeder on the A67 autobahn late Monday night after motorists alerted them to an Audi Q7 SUV with foreign plates being driven dangerously along the stretch of the freeway.
Police caught up with the northbound vehicle thanks to a motorist who maintained contact with them while following the Audi, which was reportedly swerving across the road at speeds of between 70 kph and 220 kph (43 mph and 137 mph).
Police were able to stop the vehicle at a rest area near Weiterstadt, where they deduced that both the driver and passenger were under the influence of alcohol.
When police administered breathalyzer tests, the driver blew 4.16 and his passenger knocked out the device, which does not measure beyond blood-alcohol content, or BAC, beyond a level of 5, which is equal to 5 grams of alcohol per liter of blood.
Police issued blood tests, then revoked the driver's license before taking him into custody.
Police say it is sheer luck that no one was seriously injured in the incident.
Driving with a BAC of 0.5 or higher is prohibited in Germany and driving with BAC levels above 1.1 is a criminal offense.
BAC levels of 4 grams per liter and higher are classified as acutely life-threatening, potentially triggering coma or fatal respiratory arrest as the result of alcohol poisoning.
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from the Bonn online news team, and welcome to our coverage of Germany this Tuesday.
Today, we are reporting on German police chasing down dangerous speeders and raiding the clubhouses of biker gangs.
Prosecutors are busy, too, with courts seeking to hold accused terrorists from both the far-left and far-right to account.
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