In the case of the kidnapped President of the Federal Commission for Vaccination, new details are coming to light.
An investigator secures the tracks after the shooting in Wallisellen.
The case caused a stir internationally: A 38-year-old German kidnapped the President of the Federal Commission for Vaccination in Zurich – and let him go after an hour. Six days later, during a police arrest operation, the German shoots his girlfriend, whereupon he is fatally shot.
Many questions are still unanswered in this case: why did the man kidnap Christoph Berger of all people, a central figure in Swiss corona politics? And what does his business partner, a 34-year-old Swiss, have to do with it?
One thing is clear: for the latter, the compulsory measures court ordered pre-trial detention on Monday at the request of the Zurich public prosecutor’s office. This will be communicated by the senior public prosecutor’s office upon request. The 34-year-old is accused, among other things, of participation in the deprivation of liberty, kidnapping and attempted extortion.
An investigation is also underway against two police officers in connection with last Wednesday’s arrest operation. This corresponds to the standard procedure in cases in which emergency services use their firearms.
Only identified after a few days
The alleged perpetrator had taken Berger into his power on March 31 and – after the doctor had promised him financial claims – let him go again. So far it is unclear what happened in the days between the kidnapping and the planned arrest of his kidnapper six days later and why the investigators were only able to identify him at this point.
There are now indications that Berger was released by his kidnapper without leaving any way of contacting him for the money to be handed over. It was only after a few days that the man reported to Berger again – and could then be located. The Zurich public prosecutor’s office did not want to give any information about the possible process.
This question also remains unanswered: Why Berger of all people? In a statement, the doctor focused on financial motives. However, the investigators are also following the lead that the kidnapping has something to do with Berger’s position during the corona pandemic. This is mainly related to the business partner of the 38-year-old kidnapper, who is now being investigated.
The 34-year-old Swiss seems to have become increasingly radicalized during the pandemic. He posted posts about the flat earth conspiracy theory, according to which the earth is not a sphere but a disc. He also maintained a Facebook site called Flat Earth Switzerland. The man also shared Corona-critical posts. And marched in Liestal in a demonstration against the federal government’s pandemic measures, like him “Sunday view” writes.
Nevertheless, it remains unclear at the moment what role the anchoring of the 34-year-old in the conspiracy theorist milieu played for the crime.
In any case, in the relevant Telegram chats of the opponents of the measures and corona skeptics, he is not celebrated as one of them. The reports of the kidnapping are received positively by many and provided with likes. The hostility towards Berger because of his role in the vaccination campaign continues. More frequently, however, the opinion is to be found that the kidnapping is a staging – with the aim of harming the opponents of the measures.
Federal Office of Police is concerned
The social scientist Marko Kovic, who deals with the conspiracy theorists, confirms this mood picture from the Telegram chats. “The kidnapping is not extremely discussed in the scene. And if they do, they respond with encouragement – or the incident is denied entirely.” Berger remains a stimulus for the critics of the measures, and the resentment against him is great.
On request, the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) confirms that hostility towards publicly exposed persons is still a problem after the end of the corona measures. With the pandemic, the inhibition threshold for threats and insults has dropped. “Hate multiplies and spreads extremely quickly on the Internet. The danger that violent individuals will be inspired and take action is real.”
According to Fedpol, the number of threat reports has decreased recently. But the federal government is concerned about their content. It is fitting that various well-known corona experts received new recommendations from the police after Berger’s kidnapping, as the “NZZ am Sonntag” reports. This, however, without concrete indications of further planned actions. The top canton doctor in Switzerland, Rudolf Hauri, was informed directly about the kidnapping.
Regardless of the motives behind the perpetrators, the Berger kidnapping case could also have an impact on the feeling of security and the protective measures taken by exposed pandemic experts.