Four men are in custody in the case of the gang rape of a 30-year-old Iranian in the Sauerland region with a possible political background. Arrest warrants have been issued against them for gang rape, dangerous bodily harm and deprivation of liberty, police and prosecutors announced.
“According to previous investigations, the crime was primarily aimed at sexual humiliation,” said senior public prosecutor Michael Burggräf. A political motive is still being investigated because the suspects and victims could be from Iran. The ongoing investigation is also looking into whether the victim and the suspects knew each other. The arrested men have so far remained silent on the allegations.
Political background not excluded
According to initial interrogations, a total of six men in Iserlohn tied up and abused a 30-year-old refugee from Iran in an empty brewery building on Sunday night. Four men aged 24, 34, 42 and 46 were tracked down in a forest near the crime scene and arrested. The search for two other suspects is ongoing. The arrested men have stated that they are Dutch and Danish citizens, each with Iranian roots. The information is now being checked, said Burggräf.
Because the victim and suspect are presumably of the same origin, investigators are not ruling out a political background. However, what the specific political motives might be is the subject of further investigations by state security, said Burggräf. Among other things, mobile phones were confiscated and are now being evaluated.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240909-930-227259/3
This is a message directly from the dpa news channel.
