Two suspects held over Germany's 100kg gold coin heist

BERLIN - 12 July 2017:German police commandos Wednesday detained two suspects in the spectacular theft of a 100-kilogramme (220-pound) gold coin from a Berlin museum this year.

Around 300 police took part in dawn raids on two apartments and a jeweller's shop in Berlin's Neukoelln district and locations in surrounding Brandenburg state.

The Canadian "Big Maple Leaf" stolen in late March has a face value of $1 million, but the market price of 100 kilos of gold is almost $4 million.

The commemorative coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007 measures 53 cm (21 inches) across and features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Thieves in late March stole the mega-coin from the Bode Museum on the capital's so-called Museum Island, close to Chancellor Angela Merkel's apartment.

Police in early July published video surveillance footage of the suspected thieves that showed three men wearing dark clothes, their faces obscured by hoodies, high collars and their hands.

Authorities said Wednesday that two of the men detained were believed to be the suspects in the footage, and that the other raids aimed mainly at securing evidence.

There was no indication that the massive gold coin had been recovered.