Earlier this month four armed men stormed the Grand Hyatt luxury hotel in Berlin where a poker tournament was taking place. As the four men entered the hotel armed with assault riffles and hand grenades, all the people inside (some 1,000 poker players) rushed to get out – in the ensuing panic several people were injured. The tournament's jackpot was of €800,000; the thieves did not manage to steal it all, they only got off with €242,000 (about $332,000).
The news is that one of the suspects in this brazen poker heist, a 21-year old man, turned himself over to the authorities. With his lawyer alongside, the man handed himself over to the Berlin police. Once in custody, the man admitted to his role in the robbery and named his other three accomplices that took part in the heist. It must be said that the man in question, during the heist, was held in a headlock by a security guard long enough for a camera to get a clear shot of his masked face. Despite the mask, some elements of his face were clearly visible. Since the heist the image captured by the camera had been reproduced by numerous media outlets.
There was no doubt among Berlin police representatives that the heist perpetrators would be eventually caught. All four of them had been caught on camera during the robbery; and they left a lot of traces behind during said robbery. Now that one of the perpetrators turned himself in, it is only a matter of time until his accomplices are also brought in and this incident is put to rest.
According to investigator Stefan Teller, the other three accomplices are:
- Ahmad el-Awayti, age 20, nationality unknown;
- Jihad Chetwie, age 19, German;
- Mustafa Ucarkus, age 20, Turkish.
Because the three were not found at their Berlin addresses, the authorities assume they are on the run. Photos of the three have been released to media outlets. The money has yet to be recovered. The 21-man that turned himself in said that the “loot” was divided amongst the four robbers immediately after the heist. The 21-year old man also said he would return his share via his lawyer.
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