Hells Angels swallow competition
Bandidos leadership tears apart: “Anything is possible”
More than 200 Bandidos have defected to the Hells Angels. The rockers present themselves martially online – and exchange the first hostilities.Is a bloody rocker war imminent? This concern is currently driving investigators in NRW. The reason is a massive defection from Bandidos to the Hells Angels. “A change of this magnitude has not yet taken place,” the North Rhine-Westphalian State Criminal Police Office told t-online. “The events also involve leaders of the Bandidos MC.” According to reports, almost 250 rockers from more than 20 sub-groups, so-called chapters, have switched sides. The top leadership of the Bandidos was probably also torn apart in the process. According to consistent reports, club founder Leslav Hause is among the defectors. His partner, Bandidos co-founder Peter Maczollek, however, is to remain and now become the sole Bandidos boss. Police fear retaliatory strikes Hause and Maczollek had acted “like brother and sister” in the past, scene expert Michael Ahlsdorf told t-online. But now there was apparently a family quarrel. “The remaining Bandidos will not be pleased,” says the former editor-in-chief of the magazine ‘Bikers News’, assessing the situation. The LKA is worried. In an internal report quoted by the “Neue Westfälische” and the “Rheinische Post”, the investigators had already warned of just such a situation weeks ago. Retaliatory strikes were to be feared. Rockers celebrate online: “History has been made” The LKA is now struggling to make a concrete assessment of the danger. A final assessment is currently not possible, the authority told t-online. But the officials are definitely alarmed: The situation is being analyzed on an ongoing basis together with local police authorities. They are also coordinating with partners at federal level. Meanwhile, the defected rockers are celebrating their coup on the Internet. “History has been made,” they shout. NRW is now red and white, they say in reference to the Hells Angels’ colors. A photo circulated by several rockers shows dozens of men in a ballroom. “Thank you for your trust,” is written underneath.
“Anything is possible”
But the opposing side also took action. A photomontage showing one of the defectors in a pink tutu is circulating online. The Dortmund ex-bandido and now New Hells Angel, who is said to have been one of the masterminds behind the deal, reacted angrily on Instagram: “A montage like that is different to grabbing him personally and putting him in a tutu,” he explained. “Because you sons of bitches can’t even do that with 20 people. Otherwise you would have tried or done it long ago.”
It is still unclear whether the mutual verbal attacks will soon be followed by brute force. Rocker expert Ahlsdorf says: “Anything is possible.” The horror scenario would be long-lasting clashes like those years ago, after the Bones MC motorcycle club first joined the Hells Angels completely at the end of 1999 and shortly afterwards the Ghostrider’s MC merged into the Bandidos.
Has the rocker scene possibly learned something?
“But those days are over,” hopes Ahlsdorf. The scene has learned a lot in recent years and the clubs now know that it is possible to talk to each other. “They won’t become friends,” Ahlsdorf is certain. “But I don’t expect the feud to reach the dimensions it used to.”
However, things could get tough if there is a clash. Bandidos and Hells Angels both describe themselves as “One Percenter”. This means that if 99 percent of the bikers are peaceful and law-abiding, then this one percent sees itself as outside the law. On the internet, the bikers repeatedly pose with heavy weapons. And acts of violence are constantly being heard in court: In May, an ex-Hells Angel in Cologne received a life sentence for a contract killing. In June, two men were sentenced to two and a half and five years respectively in Duisburg for a shootout between Hells Angels and clan members. And in August, the trial against two Hells Angels for a piece murder ten years ago only ended in acquittal because a key witness had withdrawn his testimony. A police officer said in court that he had heard “from biker circles” about a large cash payment to the key witness. However, this information was hearsay.
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