Berlin police: Man suspected of taking part in poker jackpot heist released
By APSaturday, March 13, 2010
Police: Suspect in poker heist released
BERLIN — Berlin police said Saturday they had released a man previously suspected of taking part in the storming last weekend of a poker tournament in which armed robbers made off with euro240,000 ($328,000) in jackpot money.
A spokeswoman for Berlin police — who did not give her name in keeping with department policy — said the suspect had been set free due to a lack of evidence. The suspect, who was detained late Friday, denied throughout several hours in questioning having taken part in the heist at the Grand Hyatt hotel in the capital.
Police declined to identify the man or give any further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
German authorities have been hunting for four suspects who, armed with guns and machetes, stormed the poker tournament in broad daylight last Saturday in downtown Berlin, stunning the participants and the audience.
Images of the masked men were captured on surveillance cameras.
According to the European Poker tour, the jackpot for the tournament stood at euro1 million ($1.36 million).
