Killing Herrhausen

The Bomb That Killed the Lord of Money

The ruins of Alfred Herrhausen's bombed car. Photo: Reuters.

On that grim morning of November 30, 1989, Alfred Herrhausen had been travelling in one of three lookalike bullet-proof cars from his elegant home in Bad Homburg to Deutsche Bank’s vast offices in Frankfurt. En route he was targeted by a sophisticated laser-guided explosion linked to an infra-red beam from a bomb skilfully placed in a satchel on a children’s bicycle. The bicycle had been leaning against a tree. There was talk of construction workers in hard hats by the roadside earlier. A man in a dark tracksuit was now being hunted. The assassin or assassins had obviously allowed the first car through, before setting it off.

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Peter Bach lives in London.

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