German federal police officers arrested a 48-year-old Albanian man at Dortmund Airport on Saturday during a routine departure check after they discovered he was wanted on a warrant related to a serious assault case.
The arrest occurred on January 24, 2026, when the man arrived at the airport intending to board a flight to Tirana, Albania. At passport control, officials from the Bundespolizei (Federal Police) verified his travel documents and ran his details through national law enforcement databases.
Warrant Leads to Arrest
A search of police records revealed an outstanding pretrial detention order issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Münster on charges of dangerous bodily injury — a classification for violent assault offences under German law. The court had authorized his arrest to ensure he faced questioning or prosecution.
Rather than allowing him to board his flight, police officers took the man into custody on the spot. At the Bundespolizei station inside the airport, forensic fingerprint scanning confirmed his identity beyond doubt. He was then transferred to the central police detention centre in Dortmund.
Later on the same evening, the suspect was brought before a duty judge in court, a standard procedure in cases where a detention order has been executed.
Routine Controls Catch Serious Offender
The arrest highlights how routine border checks at international airports can catch individuals sought for serious crimes. German federal police regularly cross-check passenger names against national and European law enforcement databases to enforce outstanding warrants and help prevent suspects from fleeing justice abroad.
Although specific details about the underlying assault case have not been made public due to privacy rules governing active investigations in Germany, authorities confirmed the detention stemmed from the assault warrant issued by the regional court in Münster.
The detained man remains in custody pending any further legal proceedings.