BERLIN (AP) – Four young men have gone on trial over the brazen theft of a 100-kilogram (221-pound) Canadian gold coin from a Berlin museum.
The “Big Maple Leaf” coin, worth several million dollars, was stolen from the Bode Museum in March 2017.
Three men, identified only as Wissam R., Ahmed R. and Wayci R., are accused of stealing the coin during the night using a wheelbarrow to haul it away. The fourth suspect, Dennis W, worked as a guard at the museum for a private security firm and is accused of scouting out the scene.
German news agency dpa reported the four men, aged between 20 and 24 years, went on trial Thursday in Berlin district court.
Investigators believe that the suspects cut up the coin and sold the pieces.
Picture taken on December 8, 2010 shows the gold coin “Big Maple Leaf” on display at Berlin’s Bode Museum.
Thieves stole the gold coin with a face value of $1 million and weighing 100 kilograms (220 pounds) from Berlin’s Bode Museum on March 27, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / dpa / Marcel Mettelsiefen / Germany OUT (Photo credit should read MARCEL METTELSIEFEN/AFP/Getty Images)