Two Arrested in Police Raid on Berlin Gangs

Police use water canons during a rally in Berlin, Germany. AP file photo
Police use water canons during a rally in Berlin, Germany. AP file photo
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Two Arrested in Police Raid on Berlin Gangs

Police use water canons during a rally in Berlin, Germany. AP file photo
Police use water canons during a rally in Berlin, Germany. AP file photo

Several hundred police officers carried out a large-scale raid in Berlin on Thursday and detained two suspects following violent clashes between rival gangs in the German capital last autumn, according to police and state prosecutors.

"Investigators are currently enforcing arrest warrants and over 20 search warrants for organized trade of drugs and weapons. Two suspects have been arrested," tweeted Berlin state prosecutors on Thursday morning.

They added that the investigation also related to violent "clan clashes" in November 2020 between "members of a family of Arab origin and Russian nationals of Chechen background".

The Berlin police tweeted that "several hundred" officers had been involved in the raid, which also related to "investigations by the tax office".

While the authorities did not disclose any further details, Berlin media reported that they were targeting the so-called "Remmo clan", a family of Arab origin notorious for ties to organized crime whose members have been linked to major museum heists in Berlin and Dresden in recent years.

In December, police arrested a fourth member of the family over the snatching of priceless jewels from the "Green Vault" museum in Dresden.

The family was also previously implicated in another stunning museum robbery in the heart of Berlin in which a 100-kilogram gold coin was stolen.



7 More Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
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7 More Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Seven more Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning following a cave search operation in northern Iraq, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said Monday, bringing the death toll to 12. The soldiers had been searching for the remains of a fellow soldier previously killed by Kurdish militants.

The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry. Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and seven more succumbed on Monday, Reuters reported.

“We pray for God’s mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event,” the ministry said Monday, also expressing hope for a rapid recovery for other troops that were affected.

It said Defense Minister Yasar Guler and armed forces' commanders were traveling to the region to carry out “inspections and evaluations” and attend a ceremony as the soldiers were flown to their hometowns for burial.

Speaking at the ceremony, Guler commended the troops' “great courage and sacrifice,” adding: “Our grief is immense and our feelings are beyond words.”

The ministry said the incident took place in the “Claw-Lock Operation region” — a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022.

There was no immediate information on the condition of the seven other soldiers who were affected by the gas.

Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict that has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Türkiye.

Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament.

According to the ministry, the Turkish unit overcome by methane gas had been searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by “terrorist gunfire” during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery teams have been scouring the area for the past three years.

The cave where the incident occurred sits at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet) and had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.