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Hostages Freed After German Bank Vault Ordeal With Suspects Still at Large

Police now say the captors left before officers entered, shifting the response to a manhunt.

Overview

  • Police in Sinzig, which faced a bank standoff Friday morning, freed two people from a locked vault unharmed.
  • One hostage was a cash-transport driver who was threatened outside the Volksbank and forced inside around 9 a.m. local time.
  • Investigators say the attackers left immediately after locking the victims inside, which explains why a special unit found no one in the branch.
  • Officers cordoned off the Rhineland-Palatinate town center and searched nearby buildings, yet the hunt continues with no suspect description released.
  • The freed pair are receiving care after the ordeal, a case that is likely to intensify scrutiny of cash-handling security following recent high-value heists in western Germany.