A gang of robbers made off with a
yet-determined amount of money from a €1 million poker tournament in Germany on
Saturday.
One person was hurt in the armed
robbery that took place at the European Poker Tournament in Berlin.
Carsten Mueller, a police spokesman
said four robbers in disguises forced employees to hand over money, and then
managed to escape.
Tournament officials confirmed the
heist on the event's blog in an official statement, saying there had been
"an armed robbery executed by six men." It was unclear why the number
differed from the police count.
A German newspaper photographer, Olaf
Wagner, was in the hotel when the raid occurred.
"I was at the entrance to the poker
hall when they stormed in,” Wagner said. “I saw three masked men struggling
with security personnel in the room where cash is exchanged for chips.
"I saw one of the men stuffing
500 euro notes into a backpack.
"As they ran one of the
security men pulled a robber to the ground. As they struggled the robber calls
for help and the others return. One of them has an empty glass bottle he waves
in the face of the security man. They force him to release their accomplice.”
The tournament organiser, the
European Poker Tour, said the raiders had probably been attracted by the
one-million-euro prize on offer to the winner of the event. They did not say
how much was stolen.