German man abducted in Gelderland village

A German man was abducted in the Gelderland village of Nijbroek last week Friday, the police said in a statement on Thursday night. He was released again unharmed a time later. The police are looking for the abductors and call on people with information to come forward.

At around 7:00 a.m. on Friday, May 3rd, two German men with two vans with German license plates were parked in the parking lot of the cemetery on Twelloseweg in Terwolde. They sat together in one of the vans. Two cars arrived - a BMW and a Volkswagen, either a Polo or a Golf. A number of men got out of the BMW. The men in the van apparently did not trust the situation and sped away. The other cars gave chase.

The van was forced to stop at the intersection of Vaassenseweg and Middendijk in Nijbroek. The men in the BMW forced one of the men in the van to get into the BMW, threatening him with a firearm. The other managed to get out and hide, he later told the police. One of the men who got out of the BMW, got into the two men's van and both vehicles drove off. A witness saw what happened and called the police. Searching police officers found the second man from the van, who managed to hide.

The abducted man was dropped off at an unknown place some time later and was allowed to drive away in the van. On the way he was asked multiple questions by his abductors. Exactly what these questions were, the police did not say. Police officers saw the van drive on Domineestraat in Twello sometime later and pulled it over. The driver turned out to be the victim. Both German men escaped the ordeal unhurt.

The police immediately did extensive trace evidence investigations at all three scenes on Friday. Both German men's vans were confiscated for investigation. Over the past week the police also spoke to local residents around the crime scenes and to the victims. Today, the police are conducting a passer-by investigation - talking to random people on the street to find out if they maybe saw or know something.

Investigators are looking to talk to a number of specific people - anyone who saw anything out of the ordinary around the cemetery in Terwolde between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. last week Friday, anyone who saw anything that may be related to the abduction on Vaassenseweg in Nijbroek between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., and anyone who noticed a gray Volkswagen Crafter Van, possibly in combination with a BMW, between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

The police also want to make contact with anyone who was driving around Nijbroek, Terwolde and Twello with a dashcam on between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. - they may have recorded something that can help with the investigation.