Murder: The Death of Jan Krogh Jensen

Scandinavian Crimes (w/ Devante & Delila)

Year(s) of Incident: August 1958
Location: Norway/Denmark
Murder: The Death of Jan Krogh Jensen
Victim(s):  1
Method: Murder, Biker Gang Violence

Born in Norway, raised in Denmark, and forever enshrined in the Scandinavian biker lore. Jan Krogh Jensen, was no ordinary outlaw. His life and death are emblematic of a violent era in the Nordic biker world, where loyalty was everything, and betrayal was paid in blood. Yahn’s journey was one of ambition, defiance, and ultimately, tragedy.

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Transcript

Welcome to Scandinavian Crimes. My name is Devante and say hello to my lovely co-host Delila.

Hi.

And on this podcast, we talk about famous Scandinavian criminals who made their marked-out Scandinavian history.

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So in this episode, we're going to be talking about something we've never talked about in the podcast, which is like, I guess biker gang crime that led to an eventual murder. So this is going to be a very new one. It's a new one for us. So the person we're talking about today was born in Norway, raised in Denmark, and forever enshrined in the Scandinavian bike lore.(...) Jan Kruh Janssen was no ordinary outlaw. His life and death are emblematic of a violent error in the Nordic biker world, where loyalty was everything and betrayal was paid in blood.

(...)

Janss journey was one of ambition,(...) defiance,(...) and ultimately tragedy. So if you're ready for this nice ride, we're going on. You can see what I did there.

Yeah, see what you did there.

(...)

If you're ready to go on the ride of your life, be sure to stick around

(...)

because you already know what to do. Grab your tea,(...) grab your snacks. If you're on your way to work, tuck yourself into a nice little corner on the bus or the train, or maybe you're still at home vibing because this is a story of Jan Kruh Janssen. Jan Kruh Janssen, known as Face, was a key figure in the world of outlaw bikers in Scandinavia during the 1980s and 1990s. Born on August 23rd, 1958 in Norway and raised in Denmark, Jan became deeply involved in biker culture, which valued freedom, loyalty, as well as rebellion.

(...)

These values shaped his life and led him to join the Hells Angels, one of the most notorious motorcycle clubs during the mid 1980s. Jan's nickname, Face, reflected his tough personality and reputation within the biker community. As a member of the Hells Angels Hells Singer chapter, he was part of a world that revolved around brotherhood, but also frequent conflicts.(...) Tensions within the club led to dissolution of the Hells Singer chapter in 1986, pushing Jan to connect with the biker scene across the Urusund Strait in Sweden. There, he joined the White Trash MC and later helped form the Morbid's MC after White Trash MC disbanded.

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In the early 1990s, the Morbids had gained recognition as a determined and organized group in the region, which brought them to the attention of the Hells Angels.(...) The Hells Angels extended an offer of membership contingent upon the Morbids merging with a rival group called the Rebels MC.(...) The proposal was controversial, as the Rebels had a history of conflict with the Morbids, and merging with them was seen as an affront to the Morbids independence and pride.

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Jan and his fellow members firmly rejected the merger, choosing instead to forge their own path.(...) This decision marked a pivotal moment as they aligned themselves with the Banditos, an international motorcycle club that was then in the early stages of establishing its presence in Scandinavia. This alliance set the stage for a bitter rivalry between the Hells Angels and the Banditos. Tensions that had been simmering between the two clubs erupted into the Nordic Biker War, a violent conflict that would claim lives and dominate headlines throughout the 1990s. The war was characterized by brutal attacks, including shootings, bombings, and arson, which disrupted communities and drew significant attention from law enforcement. Rooted in disputes over territory, organized crime, and personal feuds, the war aimed to establish dominance over criminal operations in specific regions.(...) It resulted in 12 deaths and multiple injuries. Amid these developments, Jan solidified his role within the Morbids and the broader Banditos organization.

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In 1993, he moved to Sweden, settling in a village near Helsingborg to strengthen the Banditos' foothold in the region.

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The Morbids officially became a probationary chapter of the Banditos in January 1994, making their entry into the larger structure of the international club. Jan recognized his loyalty, leadership, and experience played a critical role in this transition.

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On January 28, 1995, the Morbids achieved full membership in the Banditos.

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By this time, Jan had become a respected, influential figure embodying the fierce independence and commitment that defined the outlaw biker culture.

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His alignment with the Banditos and his refusal to yield to the demands of the Hell's Angels fueled his determination to carve out a path for himself and his club, even as it placed him at the center of a deadly rivalry. The rivalry between the two clubs was rapidly intensifying, resulting in violent clashes across Scandinavia. Both sides utilized military-grade weapons, including anti-tank rockets, hand grenades, and automatic firearms.(...) Many weapons were stolen from military depots, leading to enhanced security at such facilities. The conflict led to a drive-by shooting and attacks on rival clubhouses, even spilling over into prisons.

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Authorities struggled to control the violence, which led the Danish government to pass the Rokker Act in 1996, giving the police the power to evict biker gangs from their headquarters.

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During this period, Jan played a central role in the Banditos operations in Sweden. He worked closely with Michael Garcia Lurché-Olsson, who had arisen to the position of president of the Banditos Hellsingbordi chapter.

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Together, they navigated the dangerous and volatile environment of the Nordic-Biker war. On July 15, 1996, Jan was in Oslo, Norway, accompanied by Michael and two other Banditos members when an altercation occurred with members of the Customizers MC, a Hells Angel prospect club. This dispute began when a Customizers member deliberately overturned the Banditos motorcycle on Oslo's main street.(...) Tensions flared immediately and a physical confrontation ensued, drawing police intervention to break up the brawl.(...) However, the incident left the air charged with hostility, setting the stage for what was to follow. Later that same evening, at approximately 8pm, Jan and his companions were traveling on the motorcycles near Myandallen, a small town outside of Oslo.(...) They were ambushed in what appeared to be a planned attack.(...) Gun fire erupted and Jan was struck in the head by a bullet from a semi-automatic pistol.

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The shot penetrated his temple and lodged deep within his skull, causing him to fall from his motorcycle.

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Though still alive when paramedics arrived, he was unconscious and critically injured. He was rushed to Ullavall University Hospital in Oslo, where doctors fought to save him.

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However, Jan succumbed to his injuries two hours later at the age of 37.

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Investigators quickly linked the ambush to the earlier confrontation in Oslo.(...) It was widely believed that Michael, the president of the Helsingbodi chapter and the prominent target in the Bika war had been the intended victim of the attack.

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Jan, who was acting as his bodyguard, had likely borne the brunt of the violence intended for his leader. On July 19, 1996, just days after the ambush, a car accompanied by members of the customized MC was targeted in a drive-by shooting in Oslo.(...) Although no one was injured in a retaliatory attack, it underscored the relentless cycle of violence that defined the Nordic Bika war and the lengths to which both sides are willing to go to assert dominance. Following Jan's death, Norwegian police initiated a detailed investigation into the ambush that claimed his life.

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Their efforts soon led them to a suspect, a man with alleged ties to the Helsingbodi angels from the city of Dramin. Investigators uncovered evidence that seemed to implicate the suspect.

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Phone records placed him near the scene of the shooting at the time of the attack, and a spent cartridge was discovered beneath the driver's seat of his car suggesting a connection to the weapon used. In an unusual turn of events, Jan's death reportedly prompted some Banditos members to break the traditional code of silence that outlaw bikers typically adhere to. In their grief and frustration, some cooperated with the law enforcement sharing information that may have otherwise remained hidden. Despite these findings, the case against the suspect was far from airtight. During the trial in 1998, questions arose about the strength of the evidence. Prosecutors struggled to definitively link the suspect to the shooting or establish a clear motive of premeditated murder.

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Compounding the challenges were unreliable witness statements and discrepancies in the accounts provided by those who claimed to know about the events.

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Ultimately, the suspect was acquitted due to insufficient evidence leaving the case without resolution.

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The acquittal marked a frustrating conclusion to the investigation that spanned more than two years and demanded extensive resources.(...) By 2000 with no new leads or breakthroughs, the police formally closed the case.

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Jan's murder became another unresolved crime in the violent and chaotic Nordic Biker War. Over two decades after Jan's death, the case remained unsolved.(...) The Nordic Biker War continued for several years after his passing, but his story endures as one of the most poignant and illustrative examples of the violent and chaotic error.

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The Nordic Biker War reached a peak in 1997 when a bombing at the Banditos headquarters in Denmark killed an innocent bystander.(...) This act underscored the collateral damage inflicted during the rivalry where brutal tactics increasingly endangered not just gang members but also the public.

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Following this incident, a peace agreement was reached in September 1997 with leaders from both clubs publicly declaring an end to the hostilities. The war caused police forces millions in overtime and subsequent legal actions resulted in 138 convictions with significant prison sentences.

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Governments responded with stricter anti-gang legislation, enhanced prison security measures, and bolstering defenses for military depots which had been frequent targets for stolen weapons.

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These actions were to curb gang activities and prevent similar escalations in the future.

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So I had no idea that this had happened. Like I didn't even know that biker gangs even existed in Scandinavia so um you know this was this is very like new for me even though like this happened mostly in the 80s and 90s um it's the biker gang still exist and apparently they still have are part of the criminal organization but they're just not as public as they used to um but like I just didn't have I haven't I didn't have any idea that this even was a thing um but like how to solve like a gang war for police and for other like law enforcement I think like how do you even start to how do you even do that like I can't even imagine like a like gang war that's constantly happening how can you solve each case and like stop a war if not the leaders actively like do a ceasefire

well at least what they did over here for not just gangs but they often would try and target specific people which would then cause the organization to collapse so like think of it like the mafia remember I think I forgot who it was I don't know if it was Al Capone or whoever it was uh somebody would probably tell me but it the way that they caught him was they couldn't get him in court but they got him off of parking tickets but they knew if they went after him that the organization would start to collapse so that was a way that they could have did it but also uh you know but in general though it was very hard to solve cases with gangs in general let alone by your gangs because there's so many moving pieces it's not like it's just one person because if you kill or put one person in jail there's two or three more people who could take their place so but what's interesting is this reminds me of a movie that actually I saw when I was coming back from Sweden or was I I forgot if I was going over there but it's a movie the bike riders I came out 2024 so it's a pretty relatively new movie has Tom Hardy in it and what's the name of that guy uh Alston Butler okay um yeah so the movie is interesting because the way as we're like going through the story it sounds exactly because we have biker gang issues over here too during that time

like in the 19s and 80s yeah yeah

the 60s 70s 80s all that stuff was just like a crazy time all over the world people just chose violence at that time for whatever reason so uh but yeah like the as we're going through the story it sounds just like the movie and I want to bring this up because I'm gonna bring another point so in the movie you get like when you're mostly through like I say a little past act two uh tom hardy's character he's like a gang leader for a motorcycle gang for the most part they're pretty okay they don't really do anything too crazy yeah they can be a little rowdy in the bar but they had limitations on the things that they would do so like only if you start with them they would go retaliate but besides that they were chill they were respectful um it was more like a just fun little club thing what really caused the club to get out of control was when younger generations got involved which if I remember about the movie it took place uh I forgot whatever it might have been around like the 70s something like that but then as the uh no 1975 is when the interview was supposed because this movie's through the the eye of like an interview but basically yeah once the younger generations came along in the 70s that's when things started to take a downturn for the gangs because the gangs initially weren't as violent but as you add more people you're attracting crazy people so in the movie there was just one kid he came from a broken home you know he his mom was just horrible his step pops was horrible the place was crappy he was a horrible person and then he wanted to join the biker gang uh specifically because he thought it was cool oh yeah we're gonna be together blah blah blah and then tom hartie's character was like no like yeah we may fight people but I'm loyal to my boys like we only fight people if we need to I'm not looking out violence I'm not going to throw my boys under the bus it really was about loyalty but as the time went on he infiltrated the group by killing him and this is like closer to the end of the movie he

just you know when they fight anybody the movie's a year old I mean like I think

so like so it's like and I mean like it's full blown out and it's on airplane so I'm like you know it's been a minute if it's on the airplane but yeah so basically he's like I want to fight you to join the gang so back in the day you know they used to fight with knives and stuff like that in small skirmishes like one-on-ones they used to just fight with knives they didn't use guns for one-on-ones the kid shows up with a gun and shoots him so he broke the rules and then when he took over that's when biker gangs got so much more violent because the younger generations so I

bring it up because it seems like very like aggressive and wanted war and stuff exactly exactly and I think that's kind of what happened it's the same thing that happened here

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the only reason I suspect that it might have been was because the age in which he died he was 37 and by the time the case even rolled around it was already the 1990s so he was the young dude when he first joined well he was he was deaf because remember he was 37 when he died he wasn't even 40

I mean he climbed the ladder and went his own way and he got respect which takes years

yeah it took years he was young when he first got into it so he was a part of the young generation that came in and then the gangs just flipped yeah so it makes sense why things went violent

as you've probably heard it happened very like because of the bigger gangs basically the the the angels and the the banditos feels like that they were having the biggest beef and that's basically how it evolved and it wasn't even anything major I think it started with like small things and then they didn't like being like the territories being taken and stuff yeah it's a territorial thing and then they started being aggressive it

was definitely yeah it was definitely a territory thing it just things were handled differently when it came to a lot of crime because even I don't know if you watch those period pieces I'm always comparing movies at this point but those period pieces you saw like the Italians like for example I forgot the name of the series it's uh with the guy for his widager or is it his brother I forget they both look like they're twins uh but it's a series where he's talking about like the harlem gangster during like the 1940s and 50s but also the Italian mob was trying to move into Harlem they didn't always result to outright violence it wasn't the 40s 50s sorry it might have been like actually you know it might have been the 50s transitioning into the 60s you know what I mean it was that decade of the 50s even though that they were fighting over territory yes there was some violence their first instinct was always if there was a rival gang they didn't automatically result to war because it often killed so many people

in most games back then usually didn't want to do the war thing they wanted to

because the thing is it wasn't just about themselves the thing is even if the let's say the head honcho would survive you lost half of your people your boys family because war that includes everybody they can kill your wife your kids so their default was never to go to war it was always

if only if it was necessary absolutely you know what I think if you think about history many people back then like it just like the uh around 50s(...) like it was just after the second world war and I'm just thinking that maybe because they've seen war so much they just like nobody wanted to really like engage in and repeating like another war internally within the gangs yeah that's usually some of the gangs gang members probably came from from the war themselves yeah so you know it makes sense that they know they know the meaning of like what it can result to and then the younger generation was like

they had no clue they didn't know

what they were going into basically

exactly I think so too I agree

it makes sense honestly yeah yeah

and the more you notice the generations that are closer to war or have experienced war even as millennials how many like even though I've personally never been to war the US has been to war several times since I've been born and I've seen what it's done to people and it's just like that's why this generation we hate like why are we why are we going to war for it's stupid like why it's really stupid but then you have generations like I'm not trying to say all Gen Z is horrible but they're Gen Z boys specifically who are just like yeah you know let's let's do this blah blah blah like who voted super whatever they voted a lot of them have no idea because in their childhood there wasn't really any war so they don't they don't get it(...) so

until they experience it and the cycle will continue

yeah and I'm referring to like the younger Gen Z not the because the older ones that are closer to our age they kind of get it but talking about the the younger Gen Z just so I can be clear

honestly I just think that I don't have to like necessarily experience the war to understand that it sucks you know I agree(...) so I don't know why people are so aggressive y'all need to chill

relax just vibe relax we're all just in a we're all sitting on a rock spinning in infinite

darkness let's eat ice cream and just chill

just chill bro just chill just vibe we

don't have to be aggressive but I guess that's it I think this is a very interesting case honestly because like I just had no clue about like a biker gang I know there's gangs and like stuff like that but like biker gangs was just like oh I just thought it was an american thing for some reason I don't know why I thought wow I'm sorry that might have been very stereotypical something I just like I seen so many movies and stuff about that I was like uh maybe it's just like not a thing over here um so I was wrong I apologize to everybody who was like a biker for love bikes and stuff um I learned something today and that's what we like to do learn something new every day

yes we did and uh just to end things on a good note well we already said ice cream so there you go just have some

ice cream oh yeah yes I like I've been craving ice creams for weeks for some reason even though it's like super cold over here

yeah I mean ice cream is good all year round but anyway yes

like a fruity one not like a chocolate vanilla but I want like a something fruity

like a strawberry ice cream I mean I feel like all no like for some

reason sorbet like yes like something refreshing I

guess you okay I feel you have you on that but uh y'all let me know what y'all think about today's episode and you know be mindful that uh war is horrible be nice to people and just vibe just chill just vibe chill okay and uh we shall catch y'all I'm so done and we shall catch y'all next week peace

out okay bye