Poker tournament robber turns himself in to police

A 21-year old man has surrendered to police in connection with a robbery at an international poker tournament in Berlin.

Police on Wednesday confirmed a report in German daily Bild saying that the suspect, accompanied by his lawyer, turned himself in at a Berlin police station.

The search for his three accomplices continues.

Earlier this month four masked men captured headlines across Germany after they burst into the Grand Hyatt hotel on Potsdamer Platz during a high-stakes poker tournament, wielding machetes and handguns. The robbers made off with 242,000 euros ($331,000) in cash and escaped in a black Mercedes.

Embarrassing mistake

Police have been looking for the four men ever since. Last week the police arrested a suspect in the poker tournament robbery but later released him, after his alibi was confirmed.

Shortly after the incident, the head of the German police union described the thieves as "amateurs" and expressed confidence that they would be caught soon. A video of the heist suggested the robbers were not professionals, as one of them was not wearing gloves.

Around 950 people were participating in the poker tournament, which offered 4.7 million euros in prize money, including a one-million-euro jackpot for the winner.

smh/dpa/AFP
Editor: Nancy Isenson