All EPT Berlin robbery suspects are apprehended

All four suspects of the robbery of the Berlin European Poker Tour event in Germany on March 6 have been arrested, police said. Police in Berlin arrested two men last Saturday at the Tegel Airport in Berlin. The two suspects were part of a group of four robbers who made the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where the tournament was held, € 250,000 lighter.

The 20-year-old suspect Mustafa Ucarkus was arrested last Saturday afternoon and taken into custody when he arrived with his flight from Istanbul. Eight hours later the fourth and final suspect of the casino tournament robbery at the tournament, the 19-year-old Jihad Chetwie, was arrested after his arrival in Beirut. Both men had informed the police of their arrival through their lawyer.

Several media sources report that the raid was not planned by the four men themselves, but by an Arab family syndicate. According to some sources, members of the family stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel just before the raid, a rival criminal group supposedly provided police with tips on the robbers’ identities.

The investigation into the brutal assault on the poker tournament broke loose last week when an unnamed 21-year-old person gave himself up and declared the names of his accomplices. The second suspect was then arrested in a Berlin subway station, Ahmad El-Awayti was arrested Wednesday. The police said the suspect told he was wanted and surrendered without a fight. The police also reported that they arrested a 28-year-old Lebanese man as the prime suspect and mastermind behind the robbery. The police also stated that they have the getaway car in custody. In a statement a spokesman said: “According to the current state of our investigation, the suspect is thought to have been the organiser and brains behind the operation. He also drove the getaway car.”

The whereabouts of the € 250,000 casino jackpot of the EPT remains unknown. One of the accused, promised the police to return his share of the loot. The amount stolen would have been higher, but a heroic guard had intervened and prevented that a robber could get away with a bag of the poker winnings.

Click on the banner and register to receive £300 welcomebonus.

Visit our online casino forum to discuss this casino news.