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Germany: Thieves steal 80 Christmas trees

Elliot Douglas
November 18, 2019

Unknown perpetrators made off with 80 Christmas trees that were being stored in an empty department store over the weekend. Police estimate that the trees were worth over €1,000.

https://p.dw.com/p/3TDON
Christmas trees outside in Germany
Image: picture-alliance/imageBROKER

More than 80 Christmas trees were stolen over the weekend in Gelsenkirchen, in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The trees were kept in a disused department store and were meant for a variety of local businesses. They were worth more than €1,000 ($1,100), according to the police report.

Police described the incident, which occurred overnight on Saturday, as "extraordinary." 

Read more: Don't buy a Christmas tree, plant one

10 traditional ingredients for a very German Christmas

Authorities were at a loss to explain how the thieves could have transported the bulky trees. They said the thieves' identities remained unknown.

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Kommentarbild PROVISORISCH Elliot Douglas
Elliot Douglas Elliot Douglas is a video, audio and online journalist based in Berlin.