Germany news: Major raids carried out against Hells Angels

What you need to know

• Police have been raiding premises connected with the Hells Angels biker group in the state of NRW
• The German foreign minister is to hold talks with UN chief Antonio Guterres in New York
• Business leaders have little confidence in the German government's ability to boost economic growth, according to a survey

Here is a roundup of the top headlines and human interest stories from Germany on Tuesday, April 28, 2026:

1,200 police officers deployed in raids on Hells Angels biker gang

Police in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday launched a large-scale operation targeting the Hells Angels motorcycle gang after authorities banned a local chapter.

Some 1,200 officers, including from special police units, have been deployed across 28 cities, including Leverkusen, Cologne, Dortmund and Duisburg.

The state's Interior Ministry in Düsseldorf said more than 50 properties were searched from early morning in what it called one of the largest operations against biker criminality in the state's history.

The properties included homes and business premises of members and associates.  

The ban on the Leverkusen Hells Angel chapter is the latest in a series imposed on the group in the state over the past years.

The investigation into the group is based on the suspicion of forming a criminal organization.

According to recent media reports citing the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), the Hells Angels had 29 chapters in North Rhine-Westphalia, with around 469 members.

That makes it the largest biker group in the state. 

Welcome to our coverage

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom on the bank of the Rhine in Bonn!

We will be looking at a major police operation targeting crime by biker gangs in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Bonn is situated.

The visit by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to UN headquarters in New York will also be on the agenda, with Germany set to make a bid for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

You can read more about these and other events in and connected with Germany in our blog from Tuesday, April 28.