Shots fired at Bielefeld Regional Court during trial of killed boxer

A person was critically injured in a shooting near the regional court in Bielefeld. The German Press Agency learned from police sources that there had been a targeted attack on people who were connected to the trial surrounding the death of a former professional boxer. Three shots were fired and one person was critically injured. A suspect was arrested.

There is a large-scale operation around the regional court, the Bielefeld police said without giving any details. The "Bild" newspaper had previously reported.

According to a judicial spokesman, the shots were fired shortly after the end of a hearing in the case of the murdered former professional boxer Besar Nimani. The incident is said to have taken place outside the building on the southwest side of Federal Highway 66.

At the end of January, a trial into Nimani's death began in the regional court. The trial days are taking place under strict security conditions. Officers from a police riot squad secure the building and the courtroom. All visitors, co-plaintiffs and media representatives had to be searched before entering the courtroom.

According to the indictment by the Bielefeld public prosecutor's office, two men ambushed the victim on March 9, 2024 and fired 16 shots in front of a shop in Bielefeld's pedestrian zone following a joint plan. The 38-year-old had previously parked his car nearby and walked towards the later crime scene. He bled to death at the scene. The motive is still unclear to this day. The defendant, now 34 years old for insidious murder, has not yet commented on the charge. Another suspect is still on the run.