Nordic Biker War
| Great Nordic Biker War | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 26 January 1994 - 25 September 1997 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Drug-trade criminal dispute | ||
| Resulted in | Agreement that no new chapters would be opened in the Nordic countries | ||
| Parties | |||
| Lead figures | |||
| |||
| Number | |||
| |||
| Casualties and losses | |||
| 12 dead (11 bikers, 1 civilian) 96 wounded | |||
The Great Nordic Biker War, sometimes called the Great Northern Biker War or Great Scandinavian Biker War, refers to the violent gang war that began in 1994 and continued until 1997 in many parts of Scandinavia and Finland, mainly involving Hells Angels MC and Bandidos MC but also involving many prospect and support clubs. The cities mainly affected by the war were Copenhagen in Denmark, Helsinki in Finland, Oslo in Norway, and Helsingborg and Malmö in Sweden.[1]
Overview
The Copenhagen MC-war 1983-85
On 30.December 1980, the former "United MC" was awarded to become the frist Hells Angels chapter in Scandinavia. Their old opponants "Filthy Few" was not keen to accept the chapter at any level. Together with some members of other Copenhagen MC-clubs they formed the hard anti-HA MC-crew known as Bullshit MC. They setteled at Chistiania, benefited from the cannabis trade there, and did in september 1983 make a visit to a well-known Hells Angels pub. This visit became the start of a bloodbath that would last for the following two years and four months. The result of this first Scandinavian MC-war was eight murdered Bullshit members (including three presidents), one Hells Angels member and two innocent people. On top of all of this, Bullshit MC was also prime suspects for a the murder of two non-bikers during the war. And when the police examined the former club house of Bullshit in 1986, a corps of a man was found under the floor. [2] The number deaths during the Copenhagen war equals or exceeds the number of deaths in the second war. However the first war was concentrated to Copenhagen only. Unlike the second war this had an obvious winner and no kind of "peace treaty" was needed.
The second MC-war in Scandinavia
In 1984 Morticians MC was formed and by the early 1990s, there were many motorcycle clubs across Scandinavia. In 1992, the Morticians and Hells Angels, who had been on good terms until then, became rivals as both clubs transformed from bike enthusiasts into criminal organizations. The Morticians then changed their name to Undertakers MC and became allies of the Bandidos, whose only European chapter was based in Marseille, France at that point. In 1993, the Undertakers merged with the Bandidos to become Bandidos MC Denmark. In 1994, the Hells Angels tried to prevent Morbids MC from growing into an established biker gang and potential rival, in Sweden. The Morbids then joined an alliance with the Bandidos, who backed-up their prospect club. Outlaws MC also joined with the Bandidos in Norway. This eventually led to a drug-trade war between the two most powerful outlaw biker gangs in Scandinavia, the Hells Angels and the Bandidos, which the police described as a "deadly game" to prove 'who's the toughest'. Many of the port cities in Scandinavia, particularly Copenhagen, were used to smuggle drugs in from Spain and the Netherlands.[3]
The war
The first incident was a shooting at the clubhouse of Morbids MC, on 26 January 1994 in Helsingborg, Sweden, but no one was injured or killed. In February 1994, there was a shoot-out between Hells Angels and Bandidos members in the same city, resulting in the death of Joakim Boman, a Hells Angels member. Just days later, an anti-tank rocket was fired at the Hells Angels clubhouse. On 22 June 1994, the president of Klan MC, an ally of the Bandidos in Finland, was shot dead by the Hells Angels and on 19 February 1995, the war reached Norway as a shoot-out in Oslo between the Hells Angels and Bandidos ended in one biker being wounded.
Michael "Joe" Ljunggren, the president of Bandidos MC Sweden, was assassinated on 17 July 1995 and the Bandidos retaliated by firing anti-tank rockets at the clubhouses of Hells Angels prospect clubs in Helsinki, Finland and Helsingborg, Sweden nine days later. Two Bandidos members were later sentenced, Kai Tapio Blom was given six years imprisonment and Antti Tauno Tapani was given four years. When Bandidos MC Finland's president arrived at a Helsinki court house for the trial of Blom and Tapani, he was attacked and beaten by Hells Angels members. A Hells Angels-owned tattoo parlour in Helsinki was later destroyed in retaliation.
On Christmas Day 1995, two Hells Angels members were beaten up by Bandidos at a nightclub in Copenhagen, signalling the beginning of the war in Denmark. In January 1996, there were a series of bombings in Norway, Hells Angels prospect club, Screwdrivers MC's clubhouse in Hamar and the Hells Angels' clubhouse in Oslo were the targets. A Hells Angels-owned bar in Helsinki, Finland was also bombed a month later. On 1 March 1996, the Hells Angels attacked the Bandidos' Helsinki clubhouse where two Bandidos members suffered gunshot wounds. Jarkko Kokko, the vice-president of Bandidos MC Finland and one of the men shot, died sixteen days later in hospital from his wounds. Two Hells Angels prospects were later arrested for the murder, Ilkka Ukkonen was sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison and Jussi Penttinen was given six years.
On 10 March 1996, there were twin attacks on Bandidos members at airports in Denmark and Norway; at Fornebu airport in Oslo, several Bandidos were wounded and at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen, Bandidos who were returning from a weekend in Helsinki were shot, three wounded and one, Uffe Larsen, was killed.[4] Six Hells Angels members and associates were arrested and sentenced to a total of 53 years in prison, and one was given a life sentence.[5] In April and May 1996, there was another series of bombings as the Hells Angels clubhouses in Helsingborg, Sweden and southern Denmark were attacked and the clubhouse of a Hells Angels prospect club, Avengers MC, was also attacked in Aalborg, Denmark.
Jan "Face" Krogh Jensen, a Bandidos member, was shot and killed in Drammen, Norway on 15 July 1996 and Hells Angels supporter was shot six days later in Oslo. Two Hells Angels were also shot and wounded that month in Malmö, Sweden and at Jyderup prison in Denmark. On 28 August, the vice-president of Hells Angels MC Sweden was shot and wounded in Helsingborg.
In October 1996, there were three attacks on Hells Angels clubhouses; on the 3rd, an explosion in Malmö wounded twelve innocent bystanders and three days later, an anti-tank rocket was fired at a clubhouse in Copenhagen during a party. Hells Angel member Louis Linde Nielsen and guest Janne Krohn were both killed. Bandidos prospect Niels Poulsen was convicted of carrying out the attacks and sentenced to life in prison.[6] On the 30th, a car bomb exploded outside the Hells Angels clubhouse in Oslo. Toward the end of 1996, there were shootings of Bandidos members in Horsens and Aalborg in Denmark.
At the beginning of 1997, Hells Angel Kim Thrysöe Svendsen was murdered in Aalborg and the president of the Outlaws, Thore "Henki" Holm, and a French member were shot and wounded by a member of Untouchables MC, a Hells Angels ally. Bandido footsoldiers were also shot in Amager and Køge in Denmark. The Bandidos responded by ordering shootings on Hells Angels members and allies in Frederiksberg.
On 4 June 1997, a car bomb exploded outside a Bandidos clubhouse in Drammen, Norway, killing Irene Astrid Bækkevold, a civilian passing by in her car. A Hells Angels member was finally convicted of the bombing in 2002. Three days later, Björn Gudmandsen was killed and three other Bandidos were wounded after a shooting in Liseleje, Denmark. Hells Angel member Vagn Smith was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The last incident happened on 11 April when the Bandidos clubhouse in Dalby, Denmark was bombed.
The war ended on 25 September 1997 as "Big" Jim Tinndahn, the president of all of the Bandidos' European chapters, shook hands with Hells Angels Europe president Bent "Blondie" Nielsen in front of Danish TV news cameras.[7]
Aftermath
By the end of the war, 11 murders and 74 attempted murders had been committed and 96 people were wounded. Both clubs signed a treaty saying that no more chapters would be opened up in Scandinavia but both sides had already broken the treaty by the end of the 1990s.[citation needed] In Denmark, a law that banned motorcycle clubs from owning or renting property for their club activities was passed. The law has subsequently been repealed on constitutional grounds.[8]
References
- ^ "Angels of Death: Inside the Bikers' Empire of Crime". Randomhouse.ca. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
- ^ TV-series "24 timer vi aldrig glemmer" (24 hours we never forget), episode "Mordet på Makrellen" (The murder on "Makrellen") "Makrellen" (Henning Norbert Knudsen) was the first Bullshit president, programme focused on the murder of him, but also about the entire MC-war. Broadcasted on DR2 2.August 2012. This war had a huge impact not only in danish media, and in southern Sweden aswell
- ^ "Angels go Global". History.ca. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
- ^ "The Danish Biker Wars". Dinosmc.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
- ^ "Airport Attack Leaves One Biker Dead". Findarticles.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
- ^ "Biker Sentenced To Life For Grenade Attack". Highbeam.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
- ^ "Danish Bikers Call Truce In Deadly Feud". Independent.co.uk. 1997-09-26. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
- ^ "Biker Wars In the Land of 'The Little Mermaid'". New York Times. 1996-05-06. Retrieved 2011-10-05.