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Karl Haider (10 September 1975-) is an Austrian police officer and former operative in Rainbow. He currently serves as a senior officer in EKO Cobra, an Austrian police tactical unit.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Karl Haider was born on September 10, 1975, in Graz, Austria to a petroleum distributor and a housewife. Haider had a brother and sister while growing up.

Military and police career[]

Haider joined the Bundesheer in 1992 at the age of 17, showing skill with assault rifles and submachine guns. He was transferred to the GEK Cobra in 1996, serving in assault positions during drug busts and hostage situations. He was credited with saving the lives of seven hostages during the Deissenmayr GmbH raid. Haider also frequently cross-trained with the GSG-9 and the Sayeret Matkal, learning new tactics while teaching operatives what he knew as well.

Rainbow career[]

Haider was recruited into Rainbow in 1999, just a week after returning from his honeymoon. Haider was an assault operative during the 2000 Phoenix Group attacks, the Oil Mafia crackdown in 2002, and the 2005 Ustase plot. He then served in a training position until 2012, when terrorist incidents reached an all-time low, returning to EKO Cobra as a senior member.

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