Dirk Laabs

Dirk Laabs, born in 1973 Hamburg, is a German author specializing in the subject of terrorism, as well as an investigative journalist and filmmaker. He has received awards for the documentaries *Die Fremden im Paradies – Warum Gotteskrieger töten* (Strangers in Paradise – Why Holy Warriors Kill) and *Der Fall Deutsche Bank – Abstieg eines Geldhauses* (The Deutsche Bank Case – Decline of a Financial Institution).

Laabs studied philosophy and political science and lived in Israel for two years. He began his career in 1992 as a reporter for the tabloid Hamburger Morgenpost. He worked as a freelancer from 1995 to 1996 for the television programs *DAS!* and *Extra 3*, produced by the broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). Subsequently, he worked for private broadcasters such as MTV and Sat.1. From 1999 to 2001, he trained at the Henri Nannen School of Journalism in Hamburg.