Hostages taken in bank robbery in western Germany, police say

Published on 08/05/2026 - 13:06 GMT+2

Bank robbers took aggregate hostages successful the occidental German municipality of Sinzig connected Friday, constabulary said, with respective heavy equipped officers surrounding the bank.

Police said determination were believed to beryllium "several hostage-takers and hostages wrong the bank," and that the operator of a currency transport conveyance was among those being held.

Police wearing helmets and ballistic vests and carrying rifles were seen connected a cobblestone thoroughfare extracurricular the town's slope branch, photos published by the Bild paper showed.

It was not instantly wide however galore robbery suspects were involved, oregon what arms they mightiness possess.

According to the Bild newspaper, the occupant of an armoured van was intercepted and threatened successful beforehand of the slope successful the standoff that started astir 9:00 americium connected Friday.

The hostage takers and astatine slightest 1 captive were believed to beryllium holed up wrong the bank's vault, the study added, without citing a source.

The tiny municipality of Sinzig is located conscionable westbound of the Rhine River, astir halfway betwixt the cities of Bonn and Koblenz successful the authorities of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Police said determination was "currently nary information to radical extracurricular the cordoned-off area," adding that they were incapable to supply further accusation for now.

Police were withholding details for "tactical reasons," a spokesperson told quality play Der Spiegel, arsenic it could not beryllium ruled retired that the hostage takers were speechmaking online quality reports.

In precocious 2025, a slope robbery took spot successful Gelsenkirchen, different metropolis successful occidental Germany, resulting successful losses of €30 million, according to police.