Lars Harnes (born 1968) is a Norwegian

outlaw biker An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, ...

and

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

who served as the national president of the

Bandidos Motorcycle Club The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Formed in San Leon, Texas in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members and 303 chapters, ...

in Norway.

Biography

Harnes was a founding member of the Norwegian branch of the

Bandidos The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Formed in San Leon, Texas in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members and 303 chapters, l ...

, which was established in 1995 during the

Nordic Biker War The Nordic Biker War was a wikt:gang war, gang war that began in January 1994 and continued until September 1997 in parts of Scandinavia and Finland, involving the Hells Angels and Bandidos Motorcycle Club, Bandidos outlaw motorcycle clubs. The c ...

. He went on to serve as the club's national president. On 10 March 1996, Harnes was shot in the chest and wounded by

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporatio ...

member Torkjell "''Rotta''" ("Rat") Alsaker in the arrivals lobby at

Oslo Airport, Fornebu Oslo Airport, Fornebu ( no, Oslo lufthavn, Fornebu), was the primary international airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and the area has since been redevel ...

after he returned from a Bandidos function in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, Finland. Alsaker, president of the

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Hells Angels chapter, was found guilty of shooting Harnes and sentenced to three years in prison in November 1998. In 1999, Harnes met with Prime Minister of Norway

Kjell Magne Bondevik Kjell Magne Bondevik (; born 3 September 1947) is a Norway, Norwegian Lutheranism, Lutheran Religious minister, minister and Politics of Norway, politician. As leader of the Christian Democratic Party (Norway), Christian Democratic Party, he serv ...

during an anti-violence event.Retten løslot eks-presidenten i Bandidos
Per Annar Holm, ''

Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 million ...

'' (30 August 2013) He was sentenced in March 2001 to six months' imprisonment for violence and robbery. Prior to this, he was convicted seven times previously in Norway and once in Sweden for violence, intimidation and criminal damage, violation of the Firearms Act, and aggravated larceny. In 2003, Harnes was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of abuse and sexual assault. The year before, he had held a couple captive over the course of a day as a result of a debt dispute. He subjected the man to violent abuse and attempted to rape the man's girlfriend. While on leave from prison on 29 August 2004, Harnes – along with right-wing extremist Daniel de Linde and Petter Tharaldsen, a member of the former Tveita gang – robbed a

Den norske Bank Den norske Bank or DnB was a Norwegian bank that existed between 1990 and 2003 when it merged with Gjensidige NOR to form DnB NOR (now DNB ASA). The bank's headquarters were in Bergen, Norway. DnB was created as a merger between Bergen Bank and ...

money transport vehicle at gunpoint of

NOK Nok is a village in Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The village is an archeological site. Archaeology The discovery of terracotta figurines at this location caused its name to be used for the Nok culture, of which these ...

2.6 million in

Aker Brygge Aker Brygge is a neighbourhood in central Oslo, Norway. Since the 1980s and 1990s it has been a popular area for shopping, dining, and entertainment, as well as a high-end residential area. It was previously an industrial area. Location Aker B ...

, Oslo. Harnes was sentenced to an additional eight years' imprisonment for the robbery in February 2006. During the robbery trial, he was diagnosed with "mixed personality disorder with dyssocial and impulsive traits" by experts in the district court.Bandidos-Harnes dømt til åtte års forvaring
Jon Theodor Hauger-Dalsgard, ''

Romerikes Blad ''Romerikes Blad'' is a local newspaper published in Lillestrøm, Norway. It covers the Romerike district. History and profile ''Romerikes Blad'' was established by Martin Julius Halvorsen in 1902 in Jessheim under the name ''Akershusingen'', a ...

'' (20 February 2006) Harnes was released from prison on 27 August 2013. Harnes was arrested in Sinsenveien, Oslo on 21 July 2015 after police had observed him six times over that summer at the home of Imran "Uncle Skrue" Saber,

David Toska David Aleksander Toska (born 18 September 1975) was the alleged "mastermind" behind the "NOKAS robbery" in Stavanger on 5 April 2004, one of the most profiled criminal cases in modern Norwegian history. The robbery resulted in the killing of a ...

's former "finance minister". Police believed Harnes – who arrived at the garage on a stolen

Vespa Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooter (motorcycle), scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of ...

scooter, wearing nylon clothing with the seams taped together along with a balaclava and helmet, and armed with a loaded

Ruger Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., better known by the shortened name Ruger, is an American firearm manufacturing company based in Southport, Connecticut, with production facilities also in Newport, New Hampshire; Mayodan, North Carolina; and Presco ...

pistol fitted with a silencer – was there to liquidate Saber on behalf of another perpetrator of the

NOKAS robbery On 5 April 2004, at 8am the Nokas Cash Handling (formerly Norsk Kontantservice AS or NOKAS) in Stavanger, Norway was raided by heavily armed men. It was the biggest-ever heist in Norway. Although the police had intelligence that a raid was e ...

, Metkel Betew. In addition to attempted murder, he was also charged in a drug case relating to the importation of MDMA and hashish. Both Harnes and Betew were acquitted of attempted murder, first in the district court and later in the court of appeal. The district court ruled that Harnes intended to kill Saber, but that it never got so far that it could be considered an attempted murder. He was also cleared of the drug charge. Harnes was, however, convicted of attempting to make serious threats against Saber. Sentenced to one year and four months' imprisonment on 12 June 2020, he was released immediately due to time already served in custody while awaiting trial.Harnes dømt til fengsel etter besøk hos kjent kriminell – er ferdig med å sone
Kenneth Fossheim, TV 2 (12 June 2020) A resident of

Lørenskog is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. A suburb of Oslo, it is part of the Oslo urban area and the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Romerike. The administrati ...

, Harnes is a father of three. He reportedly converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

while in prison.

Biography

See also

References

Further reading