German wind energy fraudster Hendrik Holt is arrested in Dubai following prison escape

Arrest in Dubai after international manhunt

Authorities in Dubai arrested 36-year-old German national Hendrik Holt on 22 September 2026, concluding a four-week international search conducted under a European arrest warrant. The public prosecutor's office in Osnabrück confirmed the arrest on 23 September 2026, stating that the operation succeeded through cooperation between local prosecutors and the Osnabrück Central Criminal Inspection. German regional media outlets, including the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung and OM-Online, first reported the capture before judicial authorities released official statements. Shortly after fleeing, Holt posted a photograph on Instagram claiming he was in Russia, writing a message to mislead investigators about his true location.

“Love greetings from Moscow very nice here the caviar is fantastic.”

Disappearance from Berlin open custody

Holt escaped from prison custody on 25 August 2026 after failing to return from an approved, unaccompanied day release. He had been placed in open custody in Berlin in October 2024, an arrangement allowing inmates to move freely during daytime hours on the condition that they report back each weekday evening. Holt was registered at the JVA Düppel facility in Berlin, while some reports also referenced JVA Heidering. He failed to return on a Tuesday evening, exactly one day before a mandatory prison summer festival requiring all inmates to be present on site. A formal notification, delivered by letter and email from Holt's circle, arrived at the prison announcing that he would not return. German media reports also indicated that his wife, Jana Holt, had disappeared around the same time with a child and an infant.

The multi-million euro wind farm scheme

The Landgericht Osnabrück sentenced Holt in 2022 to a total prison term of nearly nine years following convictions for commercial gang fraud, bribery, and document forgery. Holt, a businessman originally from Haselünne in Lower Saxony's Emsland district, orchestrated a scheme selling non-existent German wind farm projects to foreign energy companies. Together with family members, he forged numerous commercial and municipal documents, defrauding three state-owned energy corporations of approximately €10 million to finance a lavish lifestyle. During the fraudulent operations, Holt also bribed foreign diplomats in an effort to acquire a diplomatic passport and obtain legal immunity from German prosecution. German police previously arrested him in April 2020 inside the Brandenburger Tor suite at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin.

New investigations and airport dealings

Prior to his flight from open custody, investigative reports revealed that Holt was involved in the background of the acquisition of the Rostock-Laage airport in mid-2025. Osnabrück prosecutors are examining a criminal complaint alleging that a portion of the down payment for the airport purchase was financed with illicit proceeds from his earlier fraud schemes. The allegations involve potential charges of money laundering and breach of trust, though investigations remain ongoing without formal convictions on those specific counts. Public prosecutors noted that details regarding Holt's transfer and legal extradition from the United Arab Emirates back to German custody will be determined in subsequent legal proceedings.