Overview
- Officers stopping a VW in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday morning found a ready-access knife in a door, a blank-firing pistol and two live pistols in the car, and another live firearm on the 26-year-old driver.
- The four detainees, men aged 19, 22, 26 and 29 from Gladbeck, were initially taken into custody on suspicion of unlawful weapons possession.
- Search warrants from the Essen public prosecutor led to evening raids on four Gladbeck residences and a Gelsenkirchen business with support from SEK units, Recklinghausen police and riot police.
- Police later reported finding additional weapons during the searches and said there is no indication the gold in the vehicle was illegally possessed.
- Investigators see no connection to the recent Sparkasse break-in, and the four men have been released from police custody as the probe continues.