Ownership, tunnels and millions: the spectacular bank robbery of Berlin

Ownership, tunnels and millions: the spectacular bank robbery of Berlin

Berlin-Zehlendorf, Deutschland - It was the night of June 28, 1995 when a spectacular bank robbery in Berlin-Zehlendorf made headlines that still sail. Four men, including several foreigners, stormed the Commerzbank branch at Breisgauer Straße 8 and took a total of 16 hostages. In this robbery, the perpetrators called for a ransom of 17 million D-Mark, a helicopter and an escape car. [WDR] reports that the police changed the building and ultimately paid 5.62 million D-Mark as a ransom.

The pre -trenched tunnel, which extended from a garage at Matterhornstrasse 48 and was about 20 meters long, was the heart of the raid. The tunnel work began in March 1994 and led the perpetrators directly to the money stores in the bank. The entire campaign, which started at 10:25 a.m., was supported by skillfully carried out distraction maneuvers. But the hostage -taking lasted over 17 hours and was interrupted by constant negotiations. The reports of [WDR] and [Wikipedia] can be read about the hostage -taking itself and the dramatic storm of the SEK at 3:43 a.m., when all hostages were freed unscathed. The gang of perpetrators escaped through the tunnel and disappeared with a prey of more than 10 million d-mark.

the perpetrators and the consequences

The group of perpetrators consisted of four men: three Syrians, a Lebanese and an Italian, supplemented by a German. Her extensive planning initially led her to the start of the law: After the attack, six of the alleged eleven robbers were caught. The arrested Moutatz al Barazi, known as the "tunnel toni", was in prison cells just two weeks later, while investigating his accomplices led. Ultimately, several members of the group of perpetrators were sentenced to long prison terms.

less than half of the prey could be secured, summarizing it is about 5.3 million D-marks that landed again in the state coffers. If large sums are still missing, the question arises whether they can ever be found. The latest data show that bank robberies in Germany are partly sad constant, with a total of 92 robberies from 2020 reporting to financial institutions.

a previous heir

The perpetrator's brute approach reminded of previous bank -historical events, such as the robberies that were committed by the brothers in 1929. These parallels and the media preparation of the robbery ensure a special place to enter German criminology. Documentation and films, such as the True Crime series XY unresolved, accepted this event and helped the attack to continue celebrity.

In the end, the question remains: How efficient are the authorities in the persecution of such crimes? Throughout Germany, a steady increase in robberies on financial institutions has been reported in recent years, and the security situation remains a hotly controversial topic. The entire history of the hostage-taking in Berlin-Zehlendorf is a shocking example of well-planned crimes in a very crisis-shaken time.

The memory of this attack remains, and the questioned questions about the background and the judiciary are still relevant and exciting.