2025 Gelsenkirchen heist
Sparkasse in Gelsenkirchen-Buer, pictured in 2023 | |
| Date | Weekend of 27 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Sparkasse bank |
| Location | Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Coordinates | 51°34′45″N 7°03′15″E / 51.5791°N 7.0542°E |
| Type | Bank burglary |
| Stolen value | €30 million (initial estimates) |
In December 2025, items worth an estimated €30 million were stolen from a Sparkasse bank in Buer, a suburb of Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The thieves used a large drill to break into the bank's underground vault and proceeded to crack over 3,000 safe deposit boxes.[1] Authorities believe that the thieves broke into the Buer branch of the bank over the weekend, although it was not discovered by the police until a fire alarm went off early on Monday 29 December.[1][2]
Theft
The theft took place at a Sparkasse bank in Buer, Gelsenkirchen, Germany.[2] The bank held 3,300 safe deposit boxes.[3] The estimate of items stolen was initially reported as €30 million,[1] with investigators suspecting the total value stolen as ranging between €10 million and €90 million.[4]
According to police, the break-in likely occurred over the weekend of 27–28 December 2025. The thieves used a large drill to break into the vault.[1] The boxes were held in the bank's underground vault, which was broken in to from the adjacent parking garage.[1][2] Police have described the burglary as well organized and "very professionally executed".[4][5]
During the night of 27 December, several men were seen by witnesses carrying large bags in the parking garage. In the early morning of 29 December, a black Audi RS 6 with masked men inside and a stolen licence plate left the parking garage.[1]
The police had been alerted to dust and suspicious activity at the bank earlier on 27 December but found no signs of a break-in. An internal police review was begun regarding this oversight.[3][6]
The theft was discovered after a fire alarm was triggered at 3:58 a.m. on 29 December.[3][7] Police and firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after.[8]
Stolen items
Over 3,000 safe deposit boxes were broken into with an average insurance value of €10,000, although customers at the bank have said that the actual value may have been much higher. Items stolen included cash, jewelry and precious metals such as gold.[1] Ninety-five percent of the boxes at the bank were broken into and an estimated 2,700 customers were affected.[2][8] Most of the victims of the burglary were of Turkish or Arab origin.[5][9] One Turkish victim claimed that the theft was likely deliberately targeted at foreign clients.[9]
Aftermath
As of March 2026, the identities of the criminals are unknown, no arrests have been made, and the perpetrators are at large.[1][10] The thieves likely escaped the area before police were alerted to the break-in.[3]
Following the announcement of the theft, hundreds of customers arrived at the bank to find out information regarding the theft and demanding access to their boxes.[2][3] They were barred from entering by the police after threats were made at employees.[1][2] The bank has remained closed due to ongoing security threats.[1]
On 2 January 2026, police released CCTV footage of the bank's underground parking garage showing the masked suspects entering and leaving with the aforementioned black Audi RS 6, and also a white van, whose involvement in the theft is being investigated. The suspects' use of branded clothing and colorful gloves was remarked as possibly facilitating future identification.[11] The police also reported then that a task force was created to cope with the influx of tip-offs being received.[11]
Responses
A spokesperson for the Gelsenkirchen police said that the theft was "very professionally executed" and compared it to the film Ocean's Eleven.[1] They also said that the theft had to have required extensive planning and inside knowledge of the bank.[5]
According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the heist may be one of the largest thefts in German history.[12]
On 19 February 2026, executives of the Sparkasse bank, the chief of police in charge of the investigations, and around 200 victims of the heist gathered in a conference to address concerns and doubts surrounding the crime. In the occasion, Sparkasse executives apologized for the incident, as well as for the lack of communication that followed.[10]
See also
- 1995 Berlin-Zehlendorf bank robbery—a 170-meter-tunnel-aided heist valued at 16.3 million Deutsche Marks (8.33 million Euros in 2025)
- 2013 Berlin-Steglitz bank heist—an unsolved 45-meter-tunnel-aided break-in valued between 9 and 10 million Euros
- 2025 Louvre heist
- Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Thieves drill into Germany bank vault from parking garage, steal $35 million worth of cash and valuables". CBS News. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "German bank heist: Thieves use drill to steal €30m from savings bank". BBC News. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b c d e Luyken, Jörg (30 December 2025). "Thieves drill into bank vault and steal €30m in Christmas raid". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b Lee, David D. (31 December 2025). "Germany hunts Christmas thieves after Ocean's Eleven-style bank heist". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ a b c Connor, Richard (30 December 2025). "Germany: €30 million stolen in elaborate bank vault heist". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ "Erste Hinweise nach dem Diebstahl in Sparkasse/Weiterhin Zeugen gesucht" [First leads emerge after the bank robbery/Witnesses still being sought] (Press release) (in German). North Rhine-Westphalia Police. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ Scott, Katie. "Thieves drill into German bank vault, steal tens of millions in cash, valuables". Global News. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Thieves drill into a German bank vault and steal tens of millions of euros worth of property". Associated Press. 30 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ a b "German bank heist victims say Turkish and Arab customers were deliberately targeted". Türkiye Today. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Erstes Treffen von Sparkassen-Chef und Opfern des Millionen-Coups in Gelsenkirchen: So lief es". Westdeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 19 February 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Bank-Einbruch in Gelsenkirchen: Keine heiße Spur trotz Parkhaus-Video und Flut an Hinweisen". WDR (in German). 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
- ^ Shamim, Sarah (31 December 2025). "German thieves steal up to $105m in 'Ocean's Eleven' heist: What we know". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 31 December 2025.