A suspect arrested on suspicion of taking part in last week’s armed robbery on the fourth day of the PokerStars.net European Poker Tour event in Berlin, has been released without charge, due to a lack of evidence.
The man, believed to be of “Arabic origin”, was detained on Friday and was subjected to hours of questioning, with police unable to glean sufficient information to take proceedings any further. The man has not been identified as the investigation is still ongoing, but it is thought that he was also involved in a raid on a casino in Berlin, six years ago.
More information about the EPT Berlin robbery has come out in the past week, with officials stating that the amount of prize money stolen from the Grand Hyatt hotel amounted to €242,000 and not the extreme figures of up to €800,000 reported by some media outlets. It has also been confirmed that the gang consisted of four men, armed only with a machete and a handgun.
German police have described the raid as “amateurish”, as it took place in broad daylight, in front almost a thousand people, many of whom captured footage on mobile telephones, as well as countless film crews and security cameras. Nevertheless, the crime has highlighted a possible need for better security at such large scale poker tournaments, particularly with the World Series of Poker looming on the horizon, due to begin at the end of May.
Last year’s World Series of Poker Main Event winner Joe Cada took home $8.5 million for his victory, a figure far in excess of the €1 million won by Kevin MacPhee at Berlin’s European Poker Tour event, which could possibly attract the attentions of more professional and better organised criminals.
Officials at Harrah’s in Las Vegas don’t appear too concerned, with World Series of Poker Communications Director Seth Palansky commenting that the security team feel “very comfortable” with the plans in place for the 2010 series, though they have had discussions about the happenings at EPT Berlin, since the robbery.
Kevin MacPhee defeated a 945 strong field to win the EPT Berlin title and €1 million first prize, seemingly unfazed by all the distractions. His laid back attitude was summed up perfectly when, shortly after the tournament was finished, he was asked how he planned to spend the rest of the evening. His reply? “The Sunday Million starts in fifteen minutes”.
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