A suspected hostage situation at a bank in the quiet western German town of Sinzig ended peacefully on Friday after a large-scale police operation involving special forces and hundreds of officers.
The suspected perpetrator remains at large, police said.
Authorities said they were alerted in the morning after reports that several people had been taken hostage at a bank branch in the town of about 20,000 residents, including a driver from a cash transport service.
The suspect, reportedly wearing a white jumpsuit described as "similar to a beekeeper's suit," is said to have ambushed the employee of the cash transport service, seizing a container of cash.
He then allegedly locked two people inside a separate room in the bank, fleeing before the police's arrival.
Police said several hundred officers were deployed, including armed units and a helicopter, as the operation was initially treated as a potential hostage-taking.
The area was cordoned off and residents were urged to avoid the centre of town while the situation remained unclear.
Officials said the operation remained highly sensitive throughout the day as they worked to clarify what had happened inside the bank.
By midday, special forces entered the building and gave the all-clear.
"Special forces entered the bank and found two people inside, apparently unharmed, who had been locked in a room," police spokesman Jürgen Fachinger said.
No other individuals were found in the building. The two are believed to be victims, police said. A manhunt is ongoing. No injuries were reported, and no customers were among those affected.
Police said they had no direct contact with the suspect. It remains unclear whether the case will ultimately be classified as a hostage-taking, though unlawful detention is among the suspected offences.
The incident shocked residents in the normally quiet town, located south of Bonn, where shops were briefly closed, and streets cordoned off. "You don't expect something like this here," one local said.
Deputy mayor Hans-Werner Adams said the outcome brought relief. "The nightmare is over," he said.
