Notorious German Kidnapper Charged With Armored Van Robberies

Convicted German kidnapper Thomas Drach, who gained notoriety after carrying out the abduction of cigarette fortune heir Jan Philipp Reemtsma in 1996, has now been charged with the robbery of three armored bank vehicles, Christoph Driessen reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Photo Insert: Drach has also been charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of grievous bodily harm, three counts of arson, and of forging documents.

The Cologne public prosecutor's office has charged Drach with attempted murder and aggravated robbery, a regional court announced on Thursday.

In May, Drach was extradited from the Netherlands to Germany after being arrested in Amsterdam in February. Since then, he has been in prison in Cologne awaiting trial. A 52-year-old Dutchman who is said to have helped him is also being charged in the case.

Drach is alleged to have committed three separate robberies of armored bank vehicles in Cologne and Frankfurt in 2018 and 2019. The charge of attempted murder relates to the robbery in Frankfurt when Drach allegedly snatched a cash box from a guard and began running away.

The guard fired a shot at him as he ran, and Drach allegedly returned fire, which the public prosecutor deemed attempted murder. Drach has also been charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of grievous bodily harm, three counts of arson, and of forging documents.

His lawyer argued Thursday that the evidence against Drach was "very poor, and most of the accusations against him are speculative." In 1996, Drach and accomplices kidnapped Reemtsma from his home in Hamburg and held him in a cellar for 33 days until a ransom of about $21 million was paid. Reemtsma was eventually released.

WEEKLY FEATURE : PAL READY TO SOAR WITH PANDEMIC