18 Mar 10

EPT Robbery Suspect in Police Custody

One of the four suspects in the EPT Berlin case has turned himself in. He also mentioned the names of his three accomplices, who are still at large.

On the 6th of March, four masked men broke into the Grand Hyatt Hotel tournament area where the EPT Berlin was hosted and escaped with approximatively €242,000 ($332,000).

Associated Press now reports that one of the robbers surrendered to the German authorities on Monday, the 15th of March. During questioning, the 21 year old German admitted his involvement in the heist and he also provided the investigators with the names of his three accomplices:

• Ahmad el-Awayti, age 20, undetermined nationality
• Jihad Chetwie, age 19, German nationality
• Mustafa Ucarkus, age 20, Turkish nationality

According to the authorities, all three men already have criminal records regarding previous offences. Arrest warrants were issued and their addresses were searched, but the suspects are still at large. PokerWorld24.org reports that one of these suspects has already been caught, but the information is not yet officially confirmed.

The car used by the robbers to escape, a Mercedes, has already been found. However, the stolen money is yet to be recovered. The suspect told the police that the money was divided right after the robbery. He will pay back his share via his lawyer.

According to investigator Frank Heller, the suspect said that he "took a look at where the money is, how the money is secured, are there guards, are the guards armed" before moving on. "When he saw that the guards didn't have guns, they decided that they had a chance", Heller added.

We previously reported about this incident and you can find the full story here:

Armed robbery at the EPT Berlin

Update: German press agency DPA has just confirmed that one of the three suspects has been caught. His name has not yet been revealed.