‘They’re godfathers now’ – Germany’s most famous bodyguard on powerful Arab street gangs

Famed bodyguard, who protected the likes of Hollywood A-lister Sean Penn, took RT Deutsch on a tour of Berlin neighborhoods plagued by powerful Arab street gangs that pull off daring heists in broad daylight.

Special police in front of a building in Berlin, Germany © REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch; © RT

The ruthless Arab street gangs gained momentum in the 1990s, “pushing aside local German groups and taking Berlin’s nightlife under control,” Michael Kuhr told RT Deutsch as he strolled down a working-class neighborhood with many migrant residents.

"They’re godfathers now, totally controlling [crime in Berlin], including drugs, prostitution, and shadow money."

The Arab clans are extremely dangerous and, given their close-knit nature, they “can bring together 40 to 50 people in just half an hour,” he stated.

A former world kickboxing champion and one of the most well-known bodyguards in Germany, Kuhr said he is a “fan” of multiculturalism. However, many migrants resorted to crime because the government failed to integrate them into society, and later made the grave mistake of underestimating the threat posed by the clans, he said.

Currently, law enforcement in Berlin has a separate investigative team that deals primarily with “organized crime among the families of Arab origin,” police spokesperson Thilo Cablitz told RT.

In November, city officials rolled out a detailed plan to crack down on migrant criminal gangs, promising harsher punishments for gang members, among other things. It followed a flurry of media reports on criminal families running illicit underground business empires and pulling off daring heists in broad daylight. One such incident involved the dramatic robbery of two jewelry stores not far from the Berlin Zoo and the famous Tiergarten Park.

Just two weeks ago, Berlin police carried out the largest raid of its kind, targeting Arab criminal gangs. The operation was a part of the ‘zero-tolerance strategy’ against the gangs, a senior local official told reporters. Hundreds of officers searched hookah lounges, where they suspected the gangs laundered money, and issued fines for various offenses.

Original: https://www.rt.com/news/457308-michael-kuhr-berlin-arabic-gangs/