Police Raid Hamburg Red-light District

Some 400 police officers raided brothels in the red-light district of the northern German port city of Hamburg following a clash between rival gangs. Authorities arrested six suspects in the notorious St. Pauli neighborhood and seized six firearms, various knives and swords and three stun guns. In early May, a group of 20 men mugged two brothel owners in the area and injured them seriously. One victim suffered a gunshot to the leg. Authorities suspected a rivalry between criminal rings operating in the district. After storming nine brothels, a pub, 28 homes and offices, police said it was one of the largest coordinated raids in the area in the last decade. All six of those arrested are suspected of grievous bodily harm. Three are also accused of violating weapons laws.