Germany hunts Christmas thieves after Ocean’s Eleven-style bank heist

Al JazeeraEN 3 min read 100% complete by David D. LeeDecember 31, 2025 at 06:00 AM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

During the Christmas holidays in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, thieves broke into a Sparkasse bank vault, stealing an estimated $11.7 million to $105.7 million in cash, gold, and jewelry. The perpetrators drilled through a thick concrete wall from an adjacent parking garage to access the vault, where they broke into over 3,000 safe deposit boxes. The crime, potentially one of Germany's largest bank robberies, went unnoticed until a fire alarm was triggered on Monday. Witnesses reported seeing men carrying large bags and a black Audi RS 6 leaving the garage. Police are investigating the incident, suspecting the thieves may have remained inside the bank for several days during the holiday break.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

AFP 30% Audi RS 6 40% Thomas Nowaczyk 50% North Rhine-Westphalia 60% Gelsenkirchen ×270% Sparkasse ×280% Germany ×390%

Keywords

bank heist 90% bank vault 80% safe deposit boxes 70% christmas holidays 70% sparkasse bank 70% robbery 60% gelsenkirchen 60% theft 50% concrete wall 40%