Saint Danijela Biker War

The Saint Danyela Biker War was a violent turf war between the Blood Brothers Motorcycle Club and Specters Motorcycle Club which began in 2001 and ended in 2009. It resulted in an estimated 175 deaths, with over 460 injured and 106 arrests. One journalist described it as "...the most ferocious show of bloodshed and destruction to be seen outside of a warzone."

Background
Dominating the region since 1987, the Blood Brothers Motorcycle Club were led by Houke Van Der Plaats, an eccentric man which many described as "criminally insane and or psychotic." His dominance in the region was largely uncontested by other criminal enterprises. The lack of competition meant that the local drug, sex trafficking, and illegal firearms markets were largely dominated by Der Plaats and the Blood Brothers until 1996, when the emerging Specters Motorcycle Club established a chapter in the Market District of St. Danyela. Despite warnings from the Blood Brothers to dismantle the chapter and to leave St. Danyela, the Specters doubled down their efforts and began to undercut the Blood Brothers' prices on illegal firearms. This went largely uncontested as the unstable Der Plaats had been arrested and charged for 10 years with smuggling after being caught entering Pomara with 200kg of cocaine in 1991.

Tensions Rise
Upon Der Plaat's release in 2001, he returned to his position as president. Tensions immediately rose between the Blood Brothers and Specters as Der Plaats attempted to forcefully uproot the now settled Specters. A number of violent brawls broke out at the Specters' clubhouse, The Wild Side Bar, all of which ended up with fatalities. Following a brawl on the November 27th, 2001, Alert 'Wild' Wierda and Rimmeren 'Cricket' Krikke of the Specters followed Tette Boonstra, Laas Kloosterman, Botse Mulder, and Tyske Holtrop of the Blood Brothers to a fast food restaurant. After a short confrontation, Alert and Rimmeren opened fire with automatic weapons and pistols, killing all four of the Blood Brothers and claiming the lives of ten civilians. The following day two support clubs of the Specters, the Warmongers and Headhunters, began to frequent the Market District on a warpath. A number of businesses in the Blood Brothers' racketeering scheme were vandalized or outright destroyed.

Blood Brothers Lash Out
Believing that the Specters weren't brave enough to strike in broad daylight, a meeting was called soon after the deaths of four Blood Brothers at the Wild Side Bar. During the meeting, a carbomb went off outside of the bar. It failed to kill any of the bikers, however, killed a number of civilians on the sidewalk and in an adjacent cafe. Police determined the explosives used to have been stolen from a nearby Security Forces armory, and an investigation ensued. With thousands in damage and a number of members killed, the Blood Brothers lashed out. Alert Wierda and Rimmeren Krikke were determined to be responsible for the deaths of Tette, Laas, Botse, and Tyske by the club, and they were located at a child's birthday party three days later. Despite the setting, Goase 'Goat' Rinsma was dispatched to assassinate the two and return with their colors. Goase ambushed and killed Alert and Rimmeren after they had left the party by ramming them with his truck. A firefight then ensued between Goase and police officials who had been tracking Alert and Rimmeren for the murders, which, Goase won. With Alert and Rimmeren dead, as well as four police officers, Goase returned with the bikers' jackets and the officers' badges.

A series of bombing occurred between May 2002 and November 2004 which left upwards of 30 dead. Among them was the president of the Warmongers, Popke 'Papa Bear' De Boer. Much of the cabinet of the Warmongers and Headhunters were killed in the bombings which were predominantly ignition bombs attached to their cars.

Confiding in his friend and gay lover, Jelle Van Der Weide, Der Plaats expressed doubts about the Blood Brothers' ability to win against the Specters and their support clubs, despite the advances they had made against them. Van Der Weide turned to the Valentina Syndicate, a crime family predominantly based in Praesel. Expressing interest in the fighting and believing that they could get a cut of the market share, the Syndicate began sending support to the Blood Brothers in an attempt to offset their losses.

The Specters, witnessing their support clubs' tremendous losses, invested heavily in street gangs which the Blood Brothers had previously trampled or taxed. Promising lower rates, more influence, more territory, or even the option to patch into the club, they began to shift the local gangs to their favor. This allowed the Specters to begin undercutting the Blood Brothers' prices on not only firearms, but drugs and sex trafficking. This was caught the attention of not only the Blood Brothers, but also the Black Hand. An elusive group of wealthy businessmen with stakes in the Blood Brothers' racketeering scheme, the Black Hand fervently opposed the Specters' moves and immediately sought out allies to combat the threat to their business.

Introduction of the Nomads
With a dramatic escalation in violence, the Blood Brothers requested that the National chapter dispatch the Nomads to assist. The Nomads were an established chapter of the Blood Brothers which operated without borders or restrictions. Considered an elite force within the club, Nomads were required to commit murders or other heinous acts to be considered for entry. The first victim of the Nomads was a Headhunter patchmember, Reint Kingma, who was shot 13 times through the chest while helping his pregnant girlfriend out of his car on June 7th, 2005. In the following 30 days, there was 31 recorded murders and 15 bombings with a total fatality count of 52. Police officials began seeking out these Nomads, but made no immediate arrests in relation to the murders or bombings. Violence slowed, but continued with killings and sporadic bombings. It ramped back up in early 2007 after a Nomad, Jorn Stienstra, was knocked unconscious by Jotter De Graaf, a Headhunter enforcer. He was brought to an underpass, covered in gasoline, and lit on fire. When this didn't kill him, De Graaf bludgeoned Stienstra over the head 17 times with a lead pipe and threw his body into a sewer gutter. This resulting in a ten day long carbombing campaign with no deaths, but close to 120 injuries.

Operation High Rise
Due to the bombing and murder spree undoubtedly committed by the Blood Brothers, a government investigation was launched to figure out how such acts were being committed and no arrests were being made. What was found, however, was that the St. Danyela Sheriff's Office and Alansloan Constabulary were intentionally discarding evidence and discouraging detectives from pursuing the outlaw motorcycle clubs. Head Investigator Goaslik Van Der Ley was dismissed from his position on and subsequently charged with a number of corruption related offenses. Detective Immetje Kuperus was promoted to the position of Head Investigator and promptly set out on reducing the violence. While investigating Houke Van Der Plaats, a detective made contact with Der Plaat's gay lover, Jelle Van Der Weide. Van Der Weide, president of the Hellhounds MC, was interviewed by federal investigators. According to transcripts provided by the Alansloan Constabulary, he promptly broke down the second investigators prodded his connection with Der Plaat. Through blackmail and guilt tripping, Van Der Weide was coerced into wearing a wire and planting bugs in Der Plaats' house. In four months, the National Bureau of Special Investigations and Enforcement had linked some 70 murders to members of the Blood Brothers, including the only police fatalities, to Goase 'Goat' Rinsma.

Improper disposal of case documents led a member of the Specters to discover that investigators had questioned Van Der Weide. The president of the Specters, Wilke Fortuin, personally led a group of men posing as police officers to Van Der Weide's house wherein they killed him. Fortuin intentionally had the assassination filmed and used the Bonecrushers, a double-crossing street gang, to forward the footage to the Blood Brothers. Der Plaats, upon seeing the footage, went into a violent rage and ordered that "...every badge-wearing blue shirt will be killed, or so help me god!"

Attacking the Crown
A series of firebombings and carbombings occurred against government institutions, causing over 1.2 million in damages. A wave of members left the Blood Brothers, however, the Hellhounds stepped in as the interim president assisted Der Plaats' assault on the Crown. With several hundred injured, millions in damages, and the fight being brought to their doorstep, the Crown lashed out. The local garrison of the Security Forces was deployed to the city, as well as every available unit from the Alansloan Constabulary and Office of Drug and Firearms Enforcement. In total, 500 members of the Security Forces and police agencies descended on St. Danyela to carry out a number of warrants on January 4th, 2009.

Apex of Violence
Following the massive influx of forces aligned with the government, the city descended into all out warfare. The Specters carbombed the Wild Side one last time, killing a party of five soldiers from the Security Forces. Several firefights broke out between members of the Nomads against ODFE personnel, resulting in the use of a rocket launcher by the Nomads. Der Plaats retreated to his favorite brothel during the fighting, which he converted into a makeshift headquarters to coordinate his efforts. However, a bug placed in the room by the late Van Der Weide alerted the police to his location. A team from the NBSIE was dispatched with a squad of soldiers from the Security Forces to detain Der Plaats at the brothel. Utilizing an APC, the team rammed through the wall of the security room, accidentally killing Der Plaats. A firefight subsequently broke out on the dance room floor between the officers, soldiers, and members of the Blood Brothers and Hellhounds. By nightfall, over 70 fatalities had occurred, 23 of which being police officers.

Aftermath
Many members of the Hellhounds and Blood Brothers fled the city. Subsequent investigations against the Specters largely dismantled their Saint Danyela chapter. A subpoena on Der Plaats' phone found contacts to the Black Hand and Valentina Syndicate, incriminating six individuals. In total, 221 people were detained, ending in 104 arrests with an accumulative 1085 years imprisonment and ten life imprisonments. The Blood Brothers' Saint Danyela chapter was dismantled, as was the Hellhounds', Warmongers', and Headhunters'.