International
Two arrested in Berlin over theft of 100-kg gold coin
Gold coin theft
July 12, 2017 | 11:36 AM
Two people were arrested in Berlin on Wednesday in police raids connected with the spectacular theft of a 100-kilogram gold coin from a Berlin museum earlier this year.A police spokesman said there was reason to believe that the suspects - held in a series of police raids in Berlin's Neukoelln district - are among people captured on CCTV footage of the theft.On March 27, three people walked along the train tracks near Berlin's Hackescher Markt station, propped a ladder against the wall of the Bode Museum and climbed into the building.They stole the 100-kilogram gold coin known as the "Big Maple Leaf," a commemorative coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007, and made off with it using a wheelbarrow they found inside the building.
Special police stand in front of a building in Berlin on Wednesday during raids.
The coin has a face value of Canadian $1mn (US$745,000), although the market price of 100 kilograms of gold is more than $4mn.One of only five in the world, the coin has a diameter of 53 centimetres and is 3 centimetres thick. It has been part of the Bode Museumtarget="_blank"'>Earlier this week, police released CCTV footage of the suspects, and announced that tips leading to their capture would be rewarded with up to €5,000 ($5,700).
July 12, 2017 | 11:36 AM