'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Netflix is all set to give its viewers another true-crime documentary to binge on this week with Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis.
The documentary film will delve into a known media circus of hostage-taking crisis where a bank raid went off the rails, lasting almost three days and resulting in three deaths. The two bank robbers who were involved kept the German police at bay for 54 hours and killed several people as they went on with the drama.
Here's everything viewers need to know about Dieter Degowski and Hans-Jürgen Rösner before they stream the Netflix documentary film.
About the Gladbeck hostage crisis
In August 1988, two men with prior criminal records, Dieter Degowski and Hans-Jürgen Rösner, raided a bank in Gladbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany. These armed men then went on a run for two days through Germany and the Netherlands.
What caught the world's attention was when the entire episode quickly became a media circus in both the countries. A police operation on the A3 motorway ended the crisis, but three persons lost their lives: two teenage hostages and a police officer involved in a vehicle crash.
This was the first incident in Germany where the media was severely criticized for their handling of the situation and for conducting interviews with hostages. As a result, the German Press Council banned future interviews with hostage-takers during hostage situations. This was referred to as "the darkest hour of German journalism since the end of WWII."
Timeline of the events
The hostage crisis began with a bank hold-up. Let's take a look at the timeline of the events:
On 16 August, 1988
Dieter Degowski and Hans-Jürgen Rösner forced their way into a branch of Deutsche Bank in Gladbeck, a town in West Germany. The two threatened the staff with guns as there were no customers as the bank was yet to open for the day. Within a few minutes, the police arrived.
After a long day of negotiations, the police agreed to supply the two criminals with a getaway vehicle and several hundred thousand Deutschmarks in cash. Following this, the pair disappeared into the night, taking two bank employees hostage. They also picked Rösner's girlfriend, Marion Löblich, after which they pulled up in Bremen.
On 17 August, 1988
After several attempts to hire a car in Bremen, the two men stormed the bus with more than 32 passengers, after which journalists followed. Besides taking pictures on the bus, they got Rösner to give an impromptu press conference on the street, while he held a pistol in hand.
After five hostages were released, the bus was driven to the Autobahn service area in Grundbergsee where the two bank clerks were released. Löblich was then arrested by two police officers when she was using the toilet. This was followed by a demand for an exchange where Degowski and Rösner threatened to kill a hostage every five minutes.
When their demands were not met, they shot a 14-year-old Italian boy, Emanuele De Giorgi, in the head. The police eventually released Löblich. After the incident, the bus was driven to the Netherlands where during the chase, a police car collided with a truck, leaving one officer dead and another injured.
On 18 August, 1988
After entering the Netherlands, two women and three children were released, after which the Dutch police refused to negotiate as long as the children were being held hostage. However, the two men were provided with a getaway car but it also had a remote controlled engine that could be stopped.
On the A3 close to Bad Honnef, a police car rammed the getaway car and rendered it immobile, triggering a gunfight. One of the hostages was able to exit the car but 18-year-old Silke Bischoff was fatally shot in the heart. After this incident, the abductors were arrested. The other shooter, Hans-Jurgen Rosner, 31, who was driving the car the gunmen were using, was suspected of firing the shot that killed Miss Bischoff, according to police.
About Netflix's Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis
Netflix is all set to release its true crime film, Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis, on Wednesday, June 8 at 12:30PM IST/ GMT+5:30. The series is directed by Volker Heise and has a runtime of 1hour 31minutes.
The synopsis for the documentary reads:
"In August 1988, Hans-Jürgen Rösner and Dieter Degowski robbed a branch of the Deutsche Bank in Gladbeck. The subsequent hostage-taking led to an enormous media spectacle, which set a debate about the limits and responsibility of journalism."
It is set to unpack the titular 1988 event and revisit how the law enforcement and media responded to the situation, allowing it to escalate. Both were heavily criticized for how they handled it and how it resulted in a shootout and three deaths.
Stream Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis on Netflix from Wednesday, June 8.
