Top 10 Bizarre Crimes From Around the World

True crime is often gruesome, sometimes tragic—but occasionally, it veers into the utterly bizarre. From military misfires to criminal monkey syndicates, these are the strange-but-true cases that sound more like fiction than fact. Here are ten of the weirdest crimes from across the globe.

1. The Great Emu War – Australia

In 1932, Australia declared war—not on another country, but on a population of flightless birds. Following World War I, Australian soldiers turned farmers found their wheat crops under siege by 20,000 emus migrating inland. Unable to stop the invasion, the government deployed soldiers with Lewis machine guns in what became known as the “Great Emu War.” Despite firing thousands of rounds, the emus proved too fast and too spread out to kill efficiently. The birds outran jeeps, scattered quickly, and even dodged bullets. After several failed attempts and only a few hundred confirmed kills, the military retreated, and the emus claimed victory. The event became a national embarrassment and a source of bizarre humor around the world. It remains one of history’s strangest military operations—a “war” where humans, despite advanced weaponry, were bested by oversized birds with no tactical training.

2. The Human Sausage Scandal – Germany (1900s)

In early 20th-century Berlin, whispers spread about a butcher shop that made unusually tasty sausages. But behind the savory flavor was something sinister. Fritz Haarmann, known as “The Butcher of Hanover,” was arrested in 1924 after years of suspicion. Authorities discovered that Haarmann had murdered at least 24 young men and boys—many of them runaways or vagrants. But what horrified the public most wasn’t just the number of victims. It was the widespread rumor that he ground their flesh into sausages and sold them to unsuspecting customers. Though this detail...Read More