Police free 2 people after hostage alarm at German bank but find no perpetrators
Police officers stand at the scene of a hostage-taking at a bank branch in Sinzig, Germany, Friday, May 8, 2026. Credit: AP/Michael Probst
BERLIN — Police in Germany entered a bank in a small German town Friday and rescued two people from a locked room, hours after officers were called to respond to a hostage situation.
Regional police said they were alerted to the situation at the Volksbank branch in Sinzig, a town of about 17,000 people in the Rhine valley near Koblenz, at about 9 a.m. local time. They said they believed there were “several perpetrators and hostages” in the bank and the driver of an armored van was a hostage.
Shortly before 3 p.m., police said special forces entered the bank and freed two people unhurt from a locked room. Police said they found no hostage-takers.
They said that the perpetrator or perpetrators appeared to have left immediately after locking the two people into the vault, but it wasn't clear how that happened. Police did not indicate whether the perpetrators made away with any cash or valuables.
Out East Show: A trip to Splish Splash, Dining al fresco, Arts Center at Duck Creek NewsdayTV's Doug Geed takes us 'Out East' and visits a few popular spots and a few local gems.
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