Thieves use drill to steal €30m in German bank heist

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete December 30, 2025 at 05:54 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

Thieves in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, stole an estimated €30 million in cash and valuables from a Sparkasse bank branch during the Christmas holiday. The heist, discovered early Monday morning after a fire alarm was triggered, involved breaking into over 3,000 safe deposit boxes. Police believe the perpetrators gained access and escaped through an adjacent parking garage, with witnesses reporting seeing men carrying large bags and a black Audi RS 6 leaving the area. The thieves used a large drill to break into the bank's vault. Authorities are investigating, and the bank branch remains closed as customers are advised to contact Sparkasse to assess the damage and insurance coverage. No arrests have been made.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Amy Walker 30% AFP 40% Audi RS 6 50% Germany 70% Gelsenkirchen ×280% Sparkasse ×490% Gelsenkirchen Police ×290%

Keywords

bank heist 100% theft 80% safe deposit boxes 70% drill 60% sparkasse bank 60% insurance 50% gelsenkirchen 50% crime 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Gelsenkirchen

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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bank heist theft safe deposit boxes drill sparkasse bank insurance gelsenkirchen crime

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