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The Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG 9) is the counter-terrorism unit of the German Federal Police, and is considered to be among the best of such units in the world. Many other counterterrorist divisions were modelled after the GSG 9. Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ...
Bundespolizei or BPOL for short, is the Federal Police of Germany. ...
History and Name
In 1972, the Palestinian terrorist movement Black September used the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, to kidnap 11 Israeli athletes. The incident tragically culminated when German police, neither trained nor equipped for counter-terrorism, attempted to rescue the athletes--which failed miserably and led to the death of one policeman, half of the kidnappers and all of the hostages (subsequently called "Munich massacre"). As a consequence of the affair's mismanagement, German officials created the GSG 9 under the leadership of then Lieutenant Colonel Ulrich Wegener so that similar situations in the future can be responded to adequately and professionally. The unit was officially established on April 17, 1973 as a part of Germany's federal-level police agency, the Bundesgrenzschutz (federal border protection service; renamed in 2005 to Bundespolizei, federal police). The name GSG 9 stands for "Grenzschutzgruppe 9", border protection group 9, and was chosen simply because there existed eight regular border protection groups at the time, although after the 2005 renaming the expansion was dropped and the abbreviation GSG 9 is now the single official way to refer to the unit. Its formation was based on expertise of the British SAS and the Israeli Sayeret Matkal, where Wegener emphasizes especially the importance of the Israelis. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Tuesday. ...
The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ...
A Black September operative on a balcony in the Olympic Village in September 1972, during what became known as the Munich Massacre, in which 11 Israeli athletes were kidnapped and killed. ...
The Games of the XX Olympiad were held in 1972 in Munich, West Germany. ...
Munich and the Alps Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the largest city and capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria. ...
One of the Black September terrorists on the balcony of the Israeli team quarters at the Olympic village The Munich massacre occurred at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September – a group within...
In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ...
Ulrich K. Ricky Wegener was a founding member of GSG-9. ...
April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ...
1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...
Bundesgrenzschutz or BGS for short, is the Federal Border Service or Guard of Germany. ...
Bundespolizei or BPol for short, is the Federal Police of Germany. ...
For other Special Air Services, see Australian Special Air Service Regiment and Special Air Service of New Zealand. ...
Sayeret Matkal (Hebrew: סיירת מטכל - General Staff Reconnaissance unit) is the elite special forces unit of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). ...
Its first mission, which is still one of the most well-known and established the GSG 9's reputation as an excellent unit, was "Operation Feuerzauber" (operation fire magic). It was carried out in 1977 when Palestinian terrorists hijacked the Landshut, a Lufthansa plane on the way from Palma de Mallorca to Frankfurt, demanding that imprisoned members of the German "Red Army Faction" terrorist group be freed. After a four-day odyssey through the Middle East, the hijackers directed the Boeing 737 to Mogadishu, Somalia, where they waited for the arrival of the Red Army Faction members after the German government had (falsely) signalled they would be released. In the night between October 17 and October 18, Somalian ranger units created a distraction, while members of the GSG 9 stormed the plane, supported by British SAS agents. The operation lasted seven minutes and was successful: all hostages were rescued, three hijackers died, the fourth was heavily injured. The international counter-terrorism community applauded the GSG 9 for the excellent and professional handling of the situation, especially because an assault on a plane is considered one of the most difficult scenarios. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...
The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ...
The Landshut was a Lufthansa aircraft that was hijacked as part of the events in the German Autumn of 1977. ...
Lufthansa (Deutsche Lufthansa AG) is the largest German airline company, and one of the biggest in the world. ...
Palma de Mallorca Palma de Mallorca is the major city and port in the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. ...
River Main and the skyline (help· info) is the largest city in the German Federal State of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany. ...
RAF Logo with red star and MP5 The Red Army Faction (in German: Rote Armee Fraktion; RAF), also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, or the Baader-Meinhof Gang, which was one of the core groups within the RAF, was postwar Western Germanys most active left-wing insurgent organization. ...
A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...
The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular medium range - narrow body commercial passenger jet aircraft. ...
Mogadishu Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, Italian: Mogadiscio), a city in East Africa on the Indian Ocean, serves as the nominal capital of anarchic Somalia. ...
October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. ...
October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ...
For other Special Air Services, see Australian Special Air Service Regiment and Special Air Service of New Zealand. ...
Tasks The GSG 9 is used to act against cases of hostage taking, kidnapping, terrorism, and extortion. The group may also be used to secure locations, neutralize targets, sniping and fugitive hunting. Furthermore, the group is very active in developing and testing methods and tactics for these tasks. Finally, the group may provide consultation to the different Länder, Ministries and international allies. The group assists the Bundespolizei and other federal and local agencies by request. A hostage is a person (sometimes another entity) which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act, or refrain from acting, in a particular way. ...
Definitions of terrorism include fearmongering for political gain and the unconventional use of violence against civilians. ...
Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal substantially true information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a monetary demand is met. ...
The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship, who kills selected enemies from concealment with a rifle at long distances. ...
Germany is a Federal Republic made up of 16 States, known in German as Länder (transliterated as Laender in English, singular Land). ...
Politics of Germany takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Federal Chancellor is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ...
Publicly known missions - October 17, 1977/October 18, 1977: Freeing all 86 hostages held by a Red Army Faction group in the hijacked Lufthansa flight 181 in Mogadishu, Somalia
- 1982: Arrest of the RAF terrorists Mohnhaupt and Schulz
- June 27, 1993: Arrest of the RAF terrorists Birgit Hogefeld and Wolfgang Grams in Bad Kleinen. Some people believed that Wolfgang Grams was executed in revenge for the death of the GSG 9 operative Michael Newrzella during the mission. Grams had shot and killed Newrzella when Newrzella tried to tackle him. However, the official investigation determined that Grams committed suicide.
- 1993: Ending of the hijacking of a KLM flight from Tunis to Amsterdam, redirected to Düsseldorf without firing a single shot.
- 1994: End of a hostage situation in the Kassel Penitentiary
- 1994: Involved in the search for the kidnappers Albert and Polak
- 1998: Arrest of a extortionist of the German railway Deutsche Bahn
- 1999: Arrest of Metin Kaplan in Cologne
- 1999: Arrest of two suspected members of the Roten Zellen in Berlin
- 1999: Involved in the ending of the hijacking in the central bank in Aachen
- 2000: Advised the Philippines related to a hostage situation
- 2001: Arrested two spies in Heidelberg
- 2001: Aided in the liberation of four German tourists in Egypt
- 2001: Arrested a number of terrorists related to the September 11, 2001 attacks
- 2002: Arrested a number of terrorists related to the September 11, 2001 attacks
- 2003: Protection of the four members of the German Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) (the governmental disaster relief organization of Germany) in Baghdad, Iraq. The THW's mission is to repair the water distribution network.
- 2004: The GSG 9 is responsible for protecting property and personnel of the German embassy in Baghdad. On April 7, 2004 two members were attacked and killed near Fallujah while in a convoy travelling from Amman (Jordan) to Baghdad. The two men age 25 and 38 were travelling in a car at the rear of the convoy, and therefore received most of the enemy fire after passing the ambush. The men were shot after their armoured Mercedes was hit and stopped by RPGs. In a later statement, the attackers apologized for mistaking the German convoy for an American convoy. One of the bodies is still missing.
However, most of the missions are confidential and not made public. Since the founding of the GSG 9 the group has participated on over 1500 missions, yet fired shots only on 4 occasions (official count, prior to the war in Iraq 2003). These occasions were 1977 in Mogadishu and 1993 in Bad Kleinen, furthermore two more missions where firearms were used to defend themselves against dogs of the persons to be arrested. October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...
October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ...
For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...
A hostage is a person (sometimes another entity) which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act, or refrain from acting, in a particular way. ...
RAF Logo with red star and MP5 The Red Army Faction (in German: Rote Armee Fraktion; RAF), also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, or the Baader-Meinhof Gang, which was one of the core groups within the RAF, was postwar Western Germanys most active left-wing insurgent organization. ...
Lufthansa (Deutsche Lufthansa AG) is the largest German airline company, and one of the biggest in the world. ...
Mogadishu Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, Italian: Mogadiscio), a city in East Africa on the Indian Ocean, serves as the nominal capital of anarchic Somalia. ...
1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
RAF Logo with red star and MP5 The Red Army Faction (in German: Rote Armee Fraktion; RAF), also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, or the Baader-Meinhof Gang, which was one of the core groups within the RAF, was postwar Western Germanys most active left-wing insurgent organization. ...
Definitions of terrorism include fearmongering for political gain and the unconventional use of violence against civilians. ...
June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ...
1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...
RAF Logo with red star and MP5 The Red Army Faction (in German: Rote Armee Fraktion; RAF), also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, or the Baader-Meinhof Gang, which was one of the core groups within the RAF, was postwar Western Germanys most active left-wing insurgent organization. ...
Definitions of terrorism include fearmongering for political gain and the unconventional use of violence against civilians. ...
Wolfgang Grams (March 6, 1953 - June 27, 1993) was a member of the militant revolutionary group Red Army Faction. ...
1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...
Hijacking or highjacking is the forcible robbery from, or seizure of, a vehicle in transit. ...
KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its (agreed) take-over by Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. ...
Amsterdam Location Flag Country The Netherlands Province North Holland Population 742,951(1 January 2005) Coordinates 52°22′N 4°54′E Website www. ...
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and (together with Cologne) the economic center of Northwestern Germany. ...
1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...
A hostage is a person (sometimes another entity) which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act, or refrain from acting, in a particular way. ...
Watershed of the river Weser Kassel (until 1926 officially Cassel) is a city situated along the Fulda River, one of the two sources of the Weser river, in northern Hessen in west-central Germany. ...
A prison is a place in which people are confined and deprived of a range of liberties. ...
1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...
Kidnapper redirects here. ...
1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...
Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal substantially true information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a monetary demand is met. ...
Germanys main train operator, the Deutsche Bahn AG (German Railway Corporation, also known as DB or DBAG) provides passenger and freight service via federally owned tracks. ...
1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
Metin Kaplan (born November 14, 1952, in the Turkish province of Erzurum) is the leader of the radical Islamist movement Kalifatsstaat (caliphate state) which is based in Cologne, Germany. ...
Cologne Cathedral with Hohenzollern Bridge Cologne (German: (help· info) [kœln]; Kölsch: Kölle) is Germanys fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. ...
1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
Hijacking or highjacking is the forcible robbery from, or seizure of, a vehicle in transit. ...
Aachen Cathedral Printen Figurine at Aachen Cathedral Top Floor of Aachen Cathedral Tree-lined boulevard in Aachen Typical Aachen street with early 20th century Gründerzeit houses Aachen (French Aix-la-Chapelle, Dutch Aken, Latin Aquisgranum, Ripuarian Oche) is a spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the border...
This article is about the year 2000. ...
A hostage is a person (sometimes another entity) which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act, or refrain from acting, in a particular way. ...
2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
Heidelberg (halfway between Stuttgart and Frankfurt) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ...
2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
Definitions of terrorism include fearmongering for political gain and the unconventional use of violence against civilians. ...
Huge plume of smoke and fire seen on the North Tower (the first tower to be hit). ...
2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
THW-Logo The Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk THW (German for: Federal Technical Relief Agency) is an organisation of the German government. ...
Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: , from Persian بغداد , meaning given by God) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Province. ...
A water tap In most developed nations water is piped to homes, and is available on tap. ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: , from Persian بغداد , meaning given by God) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Province. ...
April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article is about the city of Fallujah in Iraq. ...
Amman (Arabic عمان Ê¿AmmÄn), the capital of the Kingdom of Jordan, is a city of more than 1. ...
An ambush is a long established military tactic in which an ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy that passes its position. ...
This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ...
An RPG is a hand-held, shoulder-launched antitank weapon capable of firing an unguided rocket containing an explosive warhead. ...
A typical classified document. ...
A mission literally means something that is sent, from the Latin word missum, sent. Thus we may refer to space exploration expeditions as space missions, or to a diplomatic outpost in a foreign territory as a diplomatic mission. Christian missions are movements or outposts of Christian proselytism. ...
Mogadishu Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, Italian: Mogadiscio), a city in East Africa on the Indian Ocean, serves as the nominal capital of anarchic Somalia. ...
A mission literally means something that is sent, from the Latin word missum, sent. Thus we may refer to space exploration expeditions as space missions, or to a diplomatic outpost in a foreign territory as a diplomatic mission. Christian missions are movements or outposts of Christian proselytism. ...
155 mm M198 howitzer U.S. Army soldier with a compact M249 variant USS Iowa (BB-61) fires a full broadside of nine 16/50 and six 5/38 guns during a target exercise near Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, 1 July 1984. ...
Organization The unit forms part of the German Bundespolizei (Federal Police, former Bundesgrenzschutz), and thus has normal police powers, including for example the power of arrest. The Federal Police of Germany (and thus the GSG 9) is under the control of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Bundespolizei also provides aerial transportation for the GSG 9. In contrast, regular police are responsible to the various States or Länder, as are Spezialeinsatzkommandos (SEK) (German equivalent of SWAT), while the military is responsible for the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) (special forces command) and the Kampfschwimmer (German Navy combat swimmers). Bundespolizei or BPol for short, is the FederalPolice of Germany. ...
Germany is a Federal Republic made up of 16 States, known in German as Länder (transliterated as Laender in English, singular Land). ...
Spezialeinsatzkommandos (SEK) are the SWAT units of the German federal states. ...
Official seal of the LAPD SWAT. SWAT (an acronym for Special Weapons And Tactics; originally Special Weapons Assault Team) is a specialized paramilitary police unit in major United States city police departments, which is trained to perform dangerous operations. ...
The Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Command, KSK) is part of Germanys special forces. ...
This article is about Germanys commando frogmen. ...
The German Navy (German: Deutsche Marine (help· info)) is the navy of Germany and part of the Bundeswehr. ...
The GSG 9 is based in Sankt Augustin-Hangelar near Bonn and consists of three main sub-groups, plus a number of support groups as shown below. Bonn is a city in Germany (19th largest), in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the north of the Siebengebirge. ...
1./GSG 9 (regular counter-terrorism ) The first sub group of the GSG 9 is used for regular land based counter-terrorism actions. This may involve cases of hostage taking, kidnapping, terrorism, and extortion. The group may also be used to secure locations, neutralize targets, sniping and fugitive hunting. The group has approximately 100 members. A hostage is a person (sometimes another entity) which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act, or refrain from acting, in a particular way. ...
Definitions of terrorism include fearmongering for political gain and the unconventional use of violence against civilians. ...
Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal substantially true information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a monetary demand is met. ...
The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship, who kills selected enemies from concealment with a rifle at long distances. ...
2./GSG 9 (maritime counter-terrorism) The second sub group of the GSG 9 is used for counter-terrorism at sea, for example the hijacking of ships or oil platforms. The group has approximately 100 members. Hijacking or highjacking is the forcible robbery from, or seizure of, a vehicle in transit. ...
An oil platform is a large structure used to house workers and machinery needed to drill and then produce oil and natural gas in the ocean. ...
3./GSG 9 (airborne counter-terrorism ) The third sub group of the GSG 9 is used for counter-terrorism involving airborne operations, including parachuting and helicopter landings. The group has approximately 50 members. The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ...
The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors (propellers). ...
Technical Unit This unit supports other units in obtaining entry to target areas and is responsible for the procurement, testing and issuance of non-weapon equipments.
Central Services This service group maintains the armoury of the GSG 9, and is involved in testing, repairing and purchasing weapons, ammunition, and explosives. An armory is a military depot used for the storage of weapons and ammunition. ...
A weapon is a tool used to kill or incapacitate a person or animal, or destroy a military target. ...
Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ...
Preparing C-4 explosive This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ...
Documentation Unit This unit handles the communications of the GSG 9, including the testing, repairing and purchasing of communications and surveillance equipment. Communication is the process of exchanging information, usually via a common protocol. ...
Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior. ...
Operations Staff This is the administration of the GSG 9.
Training Unit This unit trains existing members, and selects, recruits and trains the new members.
Training Members of the Bundespolizei with 2 years of service can join the GSG 9. The 22-week training period includes 13 weeks of basic training and 9 weeks of advanced training. Besides medical tests there are many physical and psychological requirements, for example running 5000 meters within 23 minutes and jump a distance of at least 2.4 meters (from a standstill). The identity of GSG 9 members is classified as top secret. Further training often involves cooperation with other allied counter-terrorism units. A typical classified document. ...
Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ...
Equipment - Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun in various versions.
- Heckler & Koch PSG-1 sniper rifle and G8 automatic rifle.
- SIG 550 assault rifle family
- GLOCK 17 pistol
Heckler & Koch Logo Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the extremely precise sniper rifle PSG1, and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ...
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a submachine gun, developed by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK) in the 1960s. ...
The PSG-1 (Präzisions-Scharfschützen-Gewehr, German for precision sharpshooting rifle) is a widely known semi-automatic sniper rifle designed by the German company Heckler & Koch. ...
The SIG 550 is an assault rifle manufactured by SAN Swiss Arms (formerly SIGARMS) of Switzerland. ...
The GLOCK 17 was the first pistol designed and manufactured by the Austrian company GLOCK. It is a locked breech, short recoil 9 mm Luger semi-automatic pistol with a standard magazine capacity of 17 rounds of ammunition. ...
See also Spezialeinsatzkommandos (SEK) are the SWAT units of the German federal states. ...
The Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Command, KSK) is part of Germanys special forces. ...
The Zentrale Unterstützungseinheit Zoll (ZUZ, meaning central customs support group), is the special operations group of the German customs service. ...
This article is about Germanys commando frogmen. ...
Official seal of the LAPD SWAT. SWAT (an acronym for Special Weapons And Tactics; originally Special Weapons Assault Team) is a specialized paramilitary police unit in major United States city police departments, which is trained to perform dangerous operations. ...
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