1997 Drammen bombing

Last updated
Drammen bombing
Part of the Nordic Biker War
Drammenbombing1997.png
An aerial view of the aftermath of the bombing.
LocationKonnerudgata 27,
Drammen, Norway
Date4 June 1997
11:44 pm
Target Bandidos clubhouse
Attack type
Van bomb
Deaths1
Injured22
VictimIrene Astrid Bækkevold
PerpetratorsMembers of the Screwdrivers Motorcycle Club, on the orders of Hells Angels Norway president Torkjell Alsaker

On 4 June 1997, a bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club chapter in Drammen, Norway, killing a passerby and injuring twenty-two others. Seven men associated with the rival Hells Angels Motorcycle Club were convicted of carrying out the attack.

Contents

Background

The attack happened during the final months of the Nordic Biker War, a turf war fought between the Bandidos and Hells Angels for control of criminal rackets in Scandinavia and Finland, in which nine people had been killed prior to the bombing. The Bandidos had moved their headquarters from Oslo to Drammen the previous year. [1] The bombing was ordered by Torkjell Alsaker, president of the Hells Angels in Norway, and was carried out by members of the Screwdrivers Motorcycle Club, an affiliated gang who were granted full membership to the Hells Angels as a result of the attack. [2]

Bombing

Between thirty and fifty kilograms of explosives, made from a mixture of diesel and synthetic fertilizer, and a homemade fuse were placed inside a Volkswagen Transporter 1981 model by John Gerhard Berg, a member of the Screwdrivers Motorcycle Club. Berg later told police during a police interview that he was given the assignment by the Hells Angels president Torkjell Alsaker. The day before the attack, Berg drove the van from Hamar to Drammen along a road where there were no surveillance cameras. On the night on 4 June 1997, Berg dressed in a black wig and other clothes he could dispose of, and drove the van into the entranceway of the Bandidos' Drammen clubhouse located at Konnerudgata 27 before lighting the bomb's fuse. He then used a bicycle that was attached to the van to flee the scene. Kai Mosether served as a getaway driver for Berg and drove him from the city. The explosives detonated at 11:44pm. [2]

The explosion was more powerful than planned, possibly because too little gravel was used over the explosive. [3] Shock waves could be felt 500–600 meters away from the explosion site, severely damaging nearby buildings, including the Drammens Is factory. After the initial explosion, the clubhouse re-ignited twice before the entire building collapsed in a major fire. [4] Three people inside the building survived. [3] Irene Astrid Bækkevold, a fifty-one-year-old woman from Skjetten who was driving past the scene in her car, was killed in the bombing [5] and a total of twenty-two people were transported to hospital. Bækkevold's husband, who was a passenger in her vehicle, was among the wounded. [4] At Drammen Hospital, a full emergency alert was announced and disaster preparedness was established, the first time such measures had been necessary at the hospital. [1]

As with the shooting of Jan Krogh Jensen north of Mjøndalen in July 1996, police suspect that the intended target of the blast was Hells Angel-turned-Bandido Michael Garcia "Lerche" Olsen. Olsen had been the president of the Copenhagen Hells Angels before being expelled and joining the Bandidos' Helsingborg chapter. [6] The visiting Olsen and two others fled the burning clubhouse immediately after the explosion. [7]

Aftermath

Prime Minister of Norway Thorbjørn Jagland and Justice Minister Gerd-Liv Valla attended the scene of the bombing the following day. Jagland vowed to propose legislation banning motorcycle gangs from establishing clubhouses in populated areas. [5]

Irene Bækkevold became the tenth person and the second innocent bystander to be killed as a result of the biker war. The resulting backlash from the public and increasing scrutiny on motorcycle gangs from law enforcement were among the factors that led to the end of the war, which officially ceased when the Bandidos and Hells Angels reached a truce in September 1997. [8]

Litigation

District Court

The investigation into the bombing took four-and-a-half years to complete and seven people affiliated with the Hells Angels were indicted for the attack. At Drammen District Court on 10 June 2002, John Gerhard Berg was sentenced to ten years in prison for arson and serious damage, while Torkjell Alsaker was acquitted. Two others, including Kai Mosether, were also found guilty of both arson, the other also for serious damage, and were sentenced to five and eight years in prison respectively. Mosether received the greatest penalty rebate after confessing and assisting with investigation and clarification. Three others were acquitted of arson, but sentenced to three years in prison each for serious damage. Although Alsaker was acquitted, the court found it likely that he had ordered the bombing. He was thus held jointly liable for the financial compensation as the other convicted persons. The six convicted were ordered to pay kr120,000 in compensation to the widower of Irene Bækkevold. The prosecutor had requested sentences ranging between seven and twelve years in prison, sixteen years for Alsaker, and the entire amount of damages was kr290 million. [9]

All seven were jointly fined kr13.6 million in damages. This was equivalent to around five per cent of the actual economic damage to the environment. Insurance companies and the police had already seized assets, property, boats and cars for kr5.5 million, mostly in the name of Alsaker's cohabitant. [9]

Five of the six convicted appealed the case to the court of appeal. Mosether accepted the verdict. [10] The prosecution, in turn, appealed the acquittal of Alsaker, as well as the other three being acquitted of arson. The state attorney also appealed the damages question. [11]

Court of Appeal

On 20 March 2003, the Borgarting Court of Appeal acquitted all five men of the arson conviction. [12] Alsaker was found guilty of complicity in the crime and sentenced to sixteen years in prison. [13] The three who were sentenced to three years' imprisonment in the District Court received six years' in the Court of Appeal. The last one sentenced to eight years' for both homicide and serious damage had his sentence increased to twelve years'. [14]

All five appealed to the Supreme Court's Appeals Committee for case processing errors after one of the jurors had to resign as she had previously testified in the custody case against one of the convicted. [15] The appeal was unanimously rejected by the Supreme Court. [16]

The insurance company went to trial to reverse the compensation decision from the district court, where they were sentenced to pay kr13.5 million. Borgarting Court of Appeal removed the damages relief in a judgment on 26 October 2004. There, the seven convicted were sentenced to pay the entire compensation of kr290 million, including interest, totaling approximately kr450 million. [17] The court thought it was unlikely that the men could ever meet the claim and also considered the consequences it had for them, but believed it was not grounds for relief. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Machine Motorcycle Club</span> Outlaw Motorcycle Club

The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club (RMMC) or Rock Machine is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1986. It has eighteen Canadian chapters spread across seven provinces. It also has nine chapters in the United States and eleven chapters in Australia, with chapters also located in 24 other countries worldwide. It was formed in 1986, by Salvatore Cazzetta and his brother Giovanni Cazzetta. The Rock Machine competed with the Hells Angels for control of the street-level narcotics trade in Quebec. The Quebec Biker War saw the Rock Machine form an alliance with a number of other organizations to face the Hells Angels. The conflict occurred between 1994 and 2002 and resulted in over 160 deaths and over 300 injured. An additional 100+ have been imprisoned.

The Nordic Biker War was a gang war that began in January 1994 and continued until September 1997 in parts of Scandinavia and Finland, involving the Hells Angels and Bandidos outlaw motorcycle clubs. The conflict is also known as the Great Nordic Biker War or Second Biker War to distinguish it from the earlier Copenhagen Biker War, which took place between 1983 and 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Krogh Jensen</span> Danish outlaw biker and gangster (1958–1996)

Jan Krogh Jensen, nicknamed "Face", was a Norwegian-born Danish outlaw biker and gangster who was a member of the Hells Angels and Bandidos motorcycle clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hells Angels MC criminal allegations and incidents</span> Criminal incidents involving the Hells Angels

Numerous police and international intelligence agencies classify the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) as a motorcycle gang and contend that members carry out widespread violent crimes, including drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, gunrunning, extortion, and prostitution operations. Members of the organization have continuously asserted that they are only a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have joined to ride motorcycles together, to organize social events such as group road trips, fundraisers, parties, and motorcycle rallies, and that any crimes are the responsibility of the individuals who carried them out and not the club as a whole. Members of the club have been accused of crimes and/or convicted in many host nations.

Rudi Heinz Elten, nicknamed "Eschli", was a German outlaw biker, gangster and member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club. Elten was shot dead in Duisburg on 8 October 2009 by Timur Akbulut, a prospective member of the rival Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicanos Motorcycle Club</span> International outlaw motorcycle club

The Chicanos Motorcycle Club is an international outlaw motorcycle club that was founded in Pritzwalk, Germany on 23 August 2003. The Chicanos are a support club for the Bandidos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Copenhagen Airport shooting</span> Gang-related shooting in Copenhagen, Denmark

On 10 March 1996, six members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club ambushed four rival Bandidos Motorcycle Club members outside Copenhagen Airport, killing one man and wounding three others with gunfire. A twin attack was also carried out at Oslo Airport, Fornebu in Norway within an hour of the Denmark shooting, leaving one man injured. The incident occurred during the Nordic Biker War (1994–97).

On 6 October 1996, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the headquarters of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Copenhagen, Denmark, killing two people and injuring nineteen others. A prospective member of the rival Bandidos Motorcycle Club was convicted of perpetrating the attack, which occurred during the Nordic Biker War (1994–97).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loners Motorcycle Club</span> Outlaw motorcycle club

The Loners Motorcycle Club (LMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada in 1979. It has seventeen chapters in Canada, eleven chapters in Italy, eleven in the United States. They also possess several chapters in other countries across the world. The club was established by two prominent Italian-Canadian bikers, Frank Lenti and Gennaro Raso.

Lars Harnes is a Norwegian outlaw biker and gangster who served as the national president of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marko Hirsma</span> Finnish musician and outlaw biker (1965–2001)

Marko Asser Hirsma was a Finnish musician, outlaw biker and gangster who served as the first national president of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club in Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandidos MC criminal allegations and incidents</span> Criminal incidents involving the Bandidos Motorcycle Club

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is classified as a motorcycle gang by law enforcement and intelligence agencies in numerous countries. While the club has denied being a criminal organization, Bandidos members have been convicted of partaking in criminal enterprises including theft, extortion, prostitution, drug trafficking and murder in various host nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannonball Motorcycle Club</span> Outlaw motorcycle club

The Cannonball Motorcycle Club (CMC) is an outlaw motorcycle club in Finland and Estonia. Founded in Helsinki in 1991, the club has eleven chapters and a membership of over two-hundred. Cannonball MC is designated as an organized crime group by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is classified as a motorcycle gang by law enforcement and intelligence agencies in numerous countries. While the club has denied being a criminal organization, Bandidos members have been convicted of partaking in criminal enterprises including theft, extortion, prostitution, drug trafficking and murder in various host nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandidos MC criminal allegations and incidents in Denmark</span> Criminal incidents involving the Bandidos Motorcycle Club in Denmark

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club is classified as a motorcycle gang by law enforcement and intelligence agencies in numerous countries. While the club has denied being a criminal organization, Bandidos members have been convicted of partaking in criminal enterprises including theft, extortion, prostitution, drug trafficking and murder in various host nations.

The Ontario Biker War in Canada saw the Hells Angels engage their long-term rivals the Outlaws Motorcycle Club for control of the province of Ontario. The war occurred between 1999 and 2002 and is also known as the London Biker conflict as a large majority of the events occurred in the city of London, Ontario. The Quebec Biker War, the largest motorcycle conflict in history was occurring during the same period in the province of Quebec.

Frédéric Faucher is a Canadian outlaw biker and gangster who served as national president of the Rock Machine Motorcycle Club during the Quebec Biker War (1994-2002). He played a significant role in the conflict and was responsible for facilitating the merger between the Rock Machine and the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, which took place on December 1, 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hells Angels MC criminal allegations and incidents in the United States</span>

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is designated an outlaw motorcycle gang by the Department of Justice. There are an estimated 92 Hells Angels chapters in 27 U.S. states, with a membership of over 800. Due to the club's designation as a "known criminal organization" by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, the United States has a federal policy prohibiting its foreign members from entering the country. The Hells Angels partake in drug trafficking, gunrunning, extortion, money laundering, insurance fraud, kidnapping, robbery, theft, counterfeiting, contraband smuggling, loan sharking, prostitution, trafficking in stolen goods, motorcycle and motorcycle parts theft, assault, murder, bombings, arson, intimidation and contract killing. The club's role in the narcotics trade involves the production, transportation and distribution of marijuana and methamphetamine, in addition to the transportation and distribution of cocaine, hashish, heroin, LSD, MDMA, PCP and diverted pharmaceuticals. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the HAMC may earn up to $1 billion in drug sales annually.

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), an international outlaw biker gang, has been involved in multiple crimes, alleged crimes, and violent incidents in Australia. The Hells Angels are legally classified as a criminal organisation in the Australian state of Queensland, and there have been attempts to classify them as such in New South Wales. The Hells Angels have been linked with drug trafficking and production, as well as a host of violent crimes including murder, in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandidos MC criminal allegations and incidents in the United States</span>

The Bandidos Motorcycle Club has been designated an outlaw motorcycle gang by the U.S. Department of Justice. The club is involved in drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, explosives violations, motorcycle and motorcycle-parts theft, intimidation, insurance fraud, kidnapping, robbery, theft, stolen property, counterfeiting, contraband smuggling, murder, bombings, extortion, arson and assault. The Bandidos partake in transporting and distributing cocaine and marijuana, and the production, transportation and distribution of methamphetamine. Active primarily in the Northwestern, Southeastern, Southwestern and the West Central regions, there are an estimated 800 to 1,000 Bandidos members and 93 chapters in 16 U.S. states.

References

  1. 1 2 En drept i bombeeksplosjon Aftenposten (5 June 1997) Archived 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 Slik sprengte de Drammen Verdens Gang (17 November 2001)
  3. 1 2 Skrekk-natten Verdens Gang (25 April 2002)
  4. 1 2 «Kripos frykter Bandidos-hevn» Arnseth Sætran, Aftenposten (5 June 1997)
  5. 1 2 Explosion destroys motorcycle gang headquarters in Norway Doug Mellgren, Associated Press (June 5, 1997)
  6. Ble feil mann likvidert? Bjørnar Tommelstad, Verdens Gang (21 February 2015)
  7. Reports: Biker bomb in Norway was aimed at Hells Angel defector Associated Press (June 7, 1997)
  8. The Mammoth Book of Bikers Arthur Veno (2007)
  9. 1 2 HA-leder ble frikjent Hans O. Torgesen and Arild M. Jonasse, Aftenposten (11 June 2002)
  10. «Rotta»-anke avgjøres fredag Arild M. Jonassen, Aftenposten (25 June 2002)
  11. Anker frifinnelse i bombesaken Arild M. Jonassen, Aftenposten (29 June 2002)
  12. Fem dømt for MC-bombe Karin Bøhm-Pedersen, Aftenposten (21 March 2003)
  13. «Rotta» fikk 16 års fengsel Frode Sætran, Aftenposten (24 March 2003)
  14. «Rettstabbe kan gi bombedømte ny mulighet» Per-Ivar Nikolaisen, Aftenposten (25 March 2003)
  15. Krever 16 år i MC-bombesaken Aftenposten (23 March 2003)
  16. Hells Angels fikk ikke medhold i Høyesterett Aftenposten (27 September 2003)
  17. Krever 450 mill. av bombemenn Arild M. Jonassen, Aftenposten (27 October 2004)
  18. Bombedømte må betale 450 millioner Arild M. Jonassen, Verdens Gang (27 October 2004)