Police in the western German town of Sinzig said a hostage situation at a local bank ended on Friday with no injuries after the suspects had left the scene.
Officers reported that special forces searched the building and found two people locked in a vault room. Both were released unharmed. Authorities said the suspects were no longer at the scene when security teams entered.
One of the hostages was the driver of a cash transport vehicle. According to media reports, a man approached the employee outside the bank at about 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT), threatened him and forced him inside; both were believed to have been in the vault area.
Police cordoned off the town center and deployed special units as they handled the incident. Officials said they were being cautious about releasing details, in part because “someone could possibly be listening in.”
Jürgen Fachinger, a police spokesman in nearby Koblenz, said there were no indications of anyone being killed or injured. He did not specify whether negotiators or other officers had made contact with the perpetrators.
Authorities confirmed no bank customers were among the hostages. Investigations into the incident and the whereabouts of the suspects were ongoing.