Overview
- Hendrik Holt failed to return to the Berlin open prison after a permitted outing and prosecutors say facts point to a flight, prompting active search measures.
- Authorities confirmed the absence was noticed after the permitted outing on 25 August 2026 and have opened the required nationwide manhunt.
- A new criminal complaint at the Staatsanwaltschaft Osnabrück names Holt in an alleged €3.1 million fraud over the sale of Rostock‑Laage airport and is now under investigation.
- Holt was convicted in 2022 by the Landgericht Osnabrück for organised and commercial fraud tied to fictitious wind‑park projects and received a multi‑year sentence while his insolvency case still lists more than €40 million in creditor claims.
- Unconfirmed media reports say he may have left with his wife and children, a detail authorities have not verified, and the escape could complicate creditor recovery and ongoing probes into Holt’s business network.