German police publish photos of masked robbers after major bank heist

Police in Gelsenkirchen have published images taken by security cameras of the masked burglars who broke into a savings bank in the western German city and raided thousands of safety deposit boxes.

The images were taken in the parking garage adjacent to the bank, from where the perpetrators gained access to the building, a police spokesman said. They show a number of people wearing black balaclavas. One person is wearing red gloves, while another is wearing green gloves.

A black car and a white delivery van are also shown. Police believe they were used for the getaway.

Almost all 3,250 safety deposit boxes at the bank in the Buer part of the city were broken into after the burglars entered from the garage into an archive room and then drilled a hole into the bank's vault.

The break-in was discovered early on Monday after a fire alarm went off. The crime could have been carried out over days, as witnesses later reported seeing men with large bags in a stairwell in the garage last weekend.

Insured damage has been put at around €30 million ($35 million), although the total could be much higher. A bank spokesman said the bank could not comment on the contents of the boxes. The branch remains closed.

On Tuesday, police reported that a high-powered car with masked men could be seen on the video recordings. It bore false Hanover licence plates.

Police said a "flood" of leads had come in, but none were conclusive. "We have a lot of leads from many sources," the spokesman said. No arrests have as yet been made.