Gang crime in Baden-Württemberg: The country and the gangs

Exchanges of fire, attacks, martial demonstrations – according to investigators, there is a gang problem in the otherwise tranquil Baden-Württemberg. One possible explanation: the low police density.

When the Iranian Kurd Shariar K. got into a taxi in the Swabian city of Göppingen last summer, he had a Yugoslavian-style M7 hand grenade in his pocket. The body of the weapon is lined with 3,000 steel balls, according to a description. The effective killing radius is twelve meters. Shariar K. tells the taxi driver that the destination is the cemetery of the Altbach community of almost 6,000 people on the Neckar River.

A community of mourners gathered there to say goodbye to a 21-year-old man. He had died in an accident. The public prosecutor’s office attributes the deceased to a gang that has been waging a bloody war with an opposing group in the greater Stuttgart area for almost two years. In addition to some neighbors and acquaintances, several gang members pay their last respects to the grieving family.

Probably just missed the multiple murder

This is apparently what Shariar K. is targeting when he pulls the ring on the hand grenade and throws it towards the mourners. Halfway through, the grenade grazes a branch, misses its target and explodes in an open area. Nevertheless, the released steel balls injured 15 people, some seriously. If the grenade had hit the middle of the mourning community, at least 20 people would have been killed, a police officer in the interview suspects Report Munich and the SWR broadcast on the issue of Baden-Württemberg.

The attack was the climax in the conflict between the rival gangs. According to police, there were previously 15 shootings on the street in 2022 and 2023. Anyone who knows the greater Stuttgart area can imagine the excitement that the escalation of violence is causing. The region is traditionally considered peaceful and safe. Automotive companies and numerous medium-sized companies ensure prosperity.

Several places with gang focuses

Prosecutors and police name the gangs after the places in which they dominate. One group is assigned to the cities of Esslingen, Plochingen and Ludwigsburg. The other group goes to the Stuttgart district of Zuffenhausen or Göppingen.

In addition to the violent crimes, there are repeated martial demonstrations by several dozen young men. Finally, they marched through the Stuttgart district of Vaihingen and chanted the word “Intikam” in Turkish, or revenge in German. Markus Eisenbraun, police chief in Stuttgart, explains in an interview that these are usually 18- to 28-year-old young men, most of whom have a migrant background. The hard core is of Kurdish descent.

Rap videos as possible evidence

Police sources say investigators are specifically evaluating videos of two regional rap musicians. People appear in these who are attributed to the two gangs or the criminal milieu. Andreas Stenger, President of the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office, shows music videos by Esslingen-born rapper Eska during an interview. This is said to be in connection with people who were involved in violent crimes in the gang war.

When researching Report Munich and the SWR It turns out that Eska videos show several people who were recently in front of the Stuttgart district court because of a shooting. The judge imposed long prison sentences. However, the judgment is not final.

According to investigators, the nationally known rapper Dardan is said to have connections to the Zuffenhausen-Göppingen group. He was recently a coach for young German rap artists on the ProSieben show “The Voice Rap”. In one of his videos, he repeatedly shows pistols and drugs packaged for sale – apparently marijuana and cocaine – next to Zuffenhausen streets and muscle men in macho poses.

ProSieben star calls for freedom for drug dealers

In another video, a gang has gathered around Dardan. Young men carry weapons and practice shadow boxing. The ProSieben coach raps “Freedom for M., Freedom for U.” After ARD-Research involves two drug dealers who have been imprisoned for several years. Report Munich and the SWR were able to see the judgments of both of them. Both were convicted of selling more than 100 kilograms of drugs each.

Interview requests from Dardan and Eska remained unanswered. After all, ProSieben explains when asked: “Dardan and his music are part of German youth culture. And are listened to and streamed hundreds of thousands of times. That’s why he was a coach on The Voice Rap.”

Overlaps with classic crime

Police Chief Eisenbraun warns that the gangs have more than 500 members and that there are areas of overlap with classic crime. Narcotics and other crimes also played a role. Parts of the groups earn their living through crime, said Eisenbraun.

But how could such an escalation of violence occur? When asked, the police union in Baden-Württemberg immediately points out that the police density is the lowest in the country. In fact, in no other federal state are there as few police officers in relation to the population as in Baden-Württemberg.

Kretschmann doesn’t see anyone Security issue

However, the Green Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann does not want to see this connection. When asked whether there should be more police forces in the region, Kretschmann replied to Report Munich and the SWRpolice density is a means to an end and not the end itself. The purpose is security in the country and security in Baden-Württemberg does not lag behind security in other countries.

For the entire country, Kretschmann may be right. But in the greater Stuttgart area something has clearly gotten out of hand in the last two years. After all, the region is in the top third nationwide when it comes to the number of weapons fired. Baden-Württemberg’s Interior Ministry points to a police recruitment drive that is slowly bearing fruit.

Defendant remains silent in court

However, investigators working on the topic assume that the gang war will keep the metropolitan area in suspense for some time. The hand grenade thrower Shariar K., like several other gang members, is now on trial. He confessed to the crime, but remained silent on details.

K. tried to escape from the cemetery. Finally, members of the opposing gang caught him and kicked him. Only when the police came did they let go of him, according to the public prosecutor. K. barely survived.