The case concerning the events in December 2012 began on Tuesday morning. Seven years ago, the director of a trust company was assaulted in his home in Eich, with the two main defendants bringing jewellers to the business's premises in Mühlenbach, where they stole high-value watches. Finally, they fled for Paris with a hostage. The entire incident lasted over three days.
In total, the two main defendants had nine victims. The first was the trust's director, who was followed by the two men, who then attacked him and held him hostage in his home. They then beat him up, leaving him with a broken rib and an open wound on his ear. The thieves also stole €140,000 from the director, alongside two cars and purchased jewels worth €12,000 with his credit card.
Then, the thugs forced the victim to put on a jacket filled with explosives to pressure another victim.
The next day, jewellers were kept as hostages at the premises of the trust. They had been tied up and locked into a boiler room in the basement. The thieves had stolen high-value watches, jewels, and money. The value of the watches alone was estimated at a retail price of nearly €1 million.
One of the hostages was then taken with as the thieves fled to Paris, where he was finally freed after three days of being held hostage.
The two other defendants are being prosecuted for having disposed of stolen objects between December 2012 and April 2013. There will be twelve sessions for the trial, expected to last until mid-December.
