EEleven months after a hostage-taking in a Karlsruhe pharmacy, the alleged perpetrator has had to answer before the local district court since Monday. In addition to taking hostages, the 21-year-old is accused of extortionate kidnapping. On March 10, 2023, he is said to have entered a pharmacy near the city center of the Baden-Württemberg city wearing a mask and with a loaded blank gun in his hand.
At times he is said to have had eleven people under his control. According to the prosecution, he fired two shots immediately after entering the pharmacy. He is then said to have ordered three people from the sales room into an adjoining room and held them there. One of them managed to escape a little later. However, there were eight other people in the back area of the pharmacy.
Youth court is responsible
The defendant is said to have demanded seven million euros and threatened that he would kill hostages if he didn't get the money. After several shots were heard from the pharmacy, police from a special unit finally stormed the building and, after about five hours, freed the hostages, who remained physically unharmed.
The then 20-year-old suspected hostage taker was arrested. The trial against him began on Monday in Karlsruhe. The public was temporarily excluded from the defendant's questioning about his personal circumstances, as a court spokesman said. The process should continue publicly at the next date.
The defendant must answer before the youth division of the regional court because he was only 20 years old at the time of the alleged crime and is therefore considered an adolescent in criminal law. The Karlsruhe court scheduled six appointments until the end of February. The verdict could be announced on February 29th.
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