Two journalists employed with the largest German newspaper, Bild, arrived in Tobago on Monday to cover the story surrounding the murders of German nationals Hubertus and Birgid Keil. Herbert Bauernebel and Tobias Everke, from Austria and Germany respectively, told the T&T Guardian yesterday they were sent to Tobago because the story was big for their newspaper the German public due the gruesome nature of the crime
Bauernebel said: “I think what contributes to the interest is that is a very gruesome crime. “It is terrible because they are elderly people who did nothing wrong but walk on the beach and then secondly, obviously it’s the way they died by being brutally slaughtered, maybe haven’t even fought. “The other factor is of course it happened in so-called paradise, so people assume that in paradise nothing happens so it adds another layer of interest.”
Asked if he felt Germans would boycott Tobago as a tourism destination because of the killings, Bauernebel said only time would tell, noting a positive outcome to the case could make a difference.
“People forget things but I think if the perpetrators are found quickly, not to put any pressure on the police, but at least what makes the story also very interesting and scary is due to the past incidents, it might be a case of a serial killer but I think at the end of the day if German tourists like Tobago I assume they would come back,” he said But Everke, who is from Germany but lives in New York, described the killings as an “insulated incident.
“If you planned a trip to Italy and someone in your country got murdered in Italy would it change your mind from going to Italy? Does it mean that all of Italy is not safe? “I think if it turns out that it’s an insulated incident it won’t have such an impact. If it turns out that somebody is on the loose or a terrorist group, drug dealers that make the country unsafe and you have a family then you would have certain thoughts but at this point we can’t say,” he added.
Bauernebel and Everke have visited the scene where the Keils were found and have been conducting interviews with Bacolet residents and top security officials on the island. A police source said yesterday they had interviewed several people, including project manager Brian Abraham, who identified the bodies for the police. Tobagonians have also been utilising the hotline set up to provide information to the police.
Contacted yesterday, ACP Simon Lendore, who was appointed by acting CoP Stephen Williams to head the team probing the case, said they were pursuing all leads in the investigation.