In August 1988, Gladbeck, a small town in Germany (West Germany at the time), was in the headlines as hostage situations started at a bank there. Although the hostage situation raged on for two long and gruelling days, the end was anything but tranquil.
Netflix’s ‘Gladbeck: the Hostage Crisis’ delves into the mystery using only archive footage of news from the time. Hans Jurgen Rossner was one of two criminals who captured bank employees. If you’re curious about what happened to the man, we’ve covered it.
Who is Hans Jurgen Rosner?
Around 7:40 AM on August 16th 1988, two men with guns were able to enter at around 7:40 AM into the Deutsche Bank in Gladbeck before the bank opened its doors for customers. Two employees were inside who were later held hostage by Hans-Jurgen Rossner and Dieter Degowski.
In 2000, Hans was 31 years old and discussed hostage negotiations with the hostage negotiators. They demanded an escape vehicle as well as $300,000 in Deutsche Marks. The two men walked off with hostages when their demands were satisfied.
The authorities found out that each man had a long criminal record. Hans was in prison for 11 years when he was fourteen years old. As documented in the documentary, Hans was a victim of assault, shoplifting and burglaries. In addition, Hans was convicted of stabbing a policeman when he was in jail. Hans, along with Dieter, drove towards Bremen, Germany, where they were joined by a companion, Marion Loblich, who was Hans, his girlfriend.
Three were in possession, hijacked an automobile, and then held over 30 people hostage on August 17th, 1988. In an unusual move, Hans was interviewed by reporters in the area and then utilized them to present their new requirements to authorities. In the documentary, in this documentary, Hans spoke to reporters that he did not care about his own life and said that he was either going to escape or commit suicide. Later, Hans even put the gun in the mouth of his friend.
The trio eventually departed in the bus and the hostages and stopped at a rest stop in Grundbergsee, Germany. The situation grew more serious when authorities arrested Marion, who was arrested, causing Dieter to shoot a 15-year-old boy when police refused to allow him to leave when the police were looking for him. Marion did return. However, the child was dead. The bus was headed to the Netherlands approximately 46 hours from when the incident began.
Then, in another getaway car that was provided by the police, the three criminals fled with two teenagers as hostages, Silke Bischoff and her friend, Ines Voitle. The vehicle ended up on the street in Cologne, Germany, where reporters clamoured to hear audio clips from the criminals and the scared hostages. After that, a reporter, Udo Robel was able to help the group to find their way to the highway before being taken away.
After 54 hours of the incident, on August 18th, 1988, police surrounded the getaway vehicle along the highway. The gunfight was fought. The police rescued Hans, Dieter, and Marion with minor injuries. However, they lost Silke to one of the gunshot wounds to her chest. They claim they were responsible for her death. Hans killed Silke with a gunshot wound to her chest. The group’s violent rampage was stopped less than two days after, and they were tried for their crimes.
Where is Hans Jurgen Rosner Now?
In March 1991, Hans was sentenced to life in prison for his crime and was also placed in preventive detention. A newspaper report from 2017 indicated that he was in an institution for prisoners in Aachen, Germany. In a recent interview, Hans stated that he did not apologize to the victims as the apology would not be sufficient. Hans said, “I keep my feelings toward the families of victims private because there’s no sense in disclosing my feelings. It is obvious that I am deeply disappointed by the crime. In the end, many people died during this incident.”
Although the authorities claim that Hans killed Silke, Hans has claimed that the blame lies with the police. Hans said that they gathered evidence against the suspect in that case. Hans claimed that an ironing board manufacturer employed him during his time in prison. Although Hans was hesitant to go to sessions, in the beginning, his therapist convinced him to try. According to the interview, Hans resided in an institution for group homes and hoped to be released one day. He hopes to live time away from all things with his wife.
