Four Suspects now Under Arrest in Berlin EPT Robbery

As the investigation into the Berlin EPT heist gathers pace, the arrest of two men at Berlin's Tegel Airport on Saturday brings the total number of suspects in custody to four .

One week after the first suspect in the armed robbery at the grand Hyatt Hotel turned himself in, police now have all four suspects in their possession. The first suspect, a 21-year-old German national whose name is as yet unconfirmed, had provided information leading to the arrest of his three accomplices.

The first of these, Ahmad el-Awayti, was arrested at the Berlin subway station last Wednesday. According to Associated Press, he had admitted to officers that he was wanted by authorities and allowed himself to be taken into custody without protest.

Gang members arrested at airport

20-year-old Turkish national, Mustafa Ucarkus, was then acquired at Berlin's international airport on Saturday after arriving from Istanbul. The last member of the gang, Jihad Chetwie, was arrested just hours later at the same location, arriving on a flight from Beirut. Apparently police had been informed by the men's lawyers they both would be travelling back to Berlin.

The Berlin newspaper, Berliner Morgenpost, reported on Sunday that the robbery may in fact have been planned by an Arab crime family already known to police. It is alleged that two members of the family had stayed at the grand Hyatt hotel prior to the robbery and had been recorded on video surveillance. Apparently information on the identity of the robbers was provided to police by a rival gang.

Police close on robbery masterminds; money still missing

The role in the robbery of a man known to police as "Mohammed B." is as yet unconfirmed. Originally arrested on 12 March, the man was released the following day having produced an alibi. But according to news sources, the officers responsible for his arrest had found in his possession the names of six persons, three of which are now official suspects in the case.

As to the recovery of €242,000 in cash which was taken in the raid of the poker tournament, little progress has so far been made. Although the original unnamed suspect, having turned himself in, had told police that he would return his quarter share of the money, the location of this - together with the remaining three quarters of the stolen banknotes - is still unknown.

You can read our last report on the EPT Berlin robbery here:
 
EPT Robbery Suspect in Police Custody