The suspect in an alleged hostage-taking at a German bank is believed to have brandished a gun before locking a bank employee and the driver of a cash transport vehicle into a vault, prosecutors said on Monday, days after the incident shocked a small town.
The police and the public prosecutor's office believe the perpetrator or perpetrators fled the bank branch in the western town of Sinzig on Friday with a stolen container full of cash before security forces arrived at the scene, according to a statement.
They have ruled out an escape after officers arrived, surrounding the branch and cordoning off a wide area of the town centre. Authorities have not yet provided details about how much money was stolen.
Officers are searching for a suspect described as a man approximately 1.8 metres tall, who was wearing a white, net-like head covering. Witness interviews and the analysis of evidence are ongoing.
Police assumed a hostage situation was taking place after being called to the bank branch in Sinzig on Friday morning by an automated alarm. Witness statements suggested the potential hostage-takers were still inside the bank when emergency responders arrived at the scene.
In their statement on Monday, the police reiterated that no contact was established with a suspect at any point during the operation. A SWAT team eventually stormed the building, where they found two unharmed people, but no suspects.
Preliminary investigations are being conducted on charges of aggravated robbery and false imprisonment, though this could change as further details emerge from interviews and witness statements.
