The notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club have unleashed a new wave of violence and extortion on sunny Mallorca, according to the Spanish newspaper Ultima Hora.
The Hells Angels members on the island are said to be led by former professional boxer Frank Hanebuth (59), and the group is said to have been involved in a number of criminal activities on the Spanish holiday island.
Now locals and tourists tell the newspaper that they live in fear of the biker gang and their leader.
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Charged with extortion
German Hanebuth led the HA in Hanover for a while, before he allegedly became president of the local Hells Angels Mallorca branch just over ten years ago.
Hanebuth has previously had several charges brought against him. Among other things, he was arrested in 2012 and charged with murder, but he was never convicted. Hanebuth has been referred to by the major newspaper Deutsche Welle as the leader of the Hells Angels throughout Europe, and has had a number of links to Europe’s criminal underworld and the political and economic elite in Hanover, Germany.
On March 19 this year, the Hells Angels president and his second-in-command were arrested after allegedly beating up a local restaurant owner, according to Ultima Hora.
The duo was accused of blackmailing the restaurant owner.
– If you want to keep the premises open, you must pay us 10,000 euros. If you don’t pay, you’re going to be in big trouble, the gang leader said, according to the restaurant owner.
During the attack, a gold chain worth around 7,000 euros is said to have been torn from the victim’s neck.
The case is now being investigated by Spanish police.
INVESTIGATED: Halebuth is now being investigated for a number of offences. Here he is pictured before a trial in Madrid last year. Photo: AP Photo / Paul White / NTB
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– Live in fear
Ultima Hora has published a leaked video of the attack, which shows the owner of the restaurant being beaten several times by two men.
The person was interviewed by the newspaper at the hospital, and claims many are now terrified of the motorcycle gang.
– We are very scared, we live in fear. My wife has already asked me to sell the restaurant and get out of here. The customers are afraid to come to the premises in case these thugs decide to come back and attack us, says the restaurateur.
They claim many are afraid to report to the police.
IN COURT: The public prosecutor wanted to imprison Hanebuth for 13 years for a number of offenses last year, but the case was rejected in Spain’s Supreme Court. Photo: Zipi Aragon / AP / NTB
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– We all know that such extortion is very common in the area, but people are afraid to speak up and go to the police. We must be brave and stand up. Otherwise, we will live our whole lives on our knees, he concludes.
– Wants to rule the island
The two were later released, which has caused more tourists and residents to worry about their own safety as the gang members have been allowed to “reign freely” in the streets, according to Ultima Hora.
Another restaurant owner on the holiday island tells the newspaper that they fear a similar attack could happen again.
– All the restaurants have their hearts in their throats, and the excitement is palpable. They come to a bar, drink a lot, and don’t pay. If you say anything to them, they threaten you, it’s unbearable, they say.
