German police said on Tuesday that thieves used the serenity of Christmas to sneak into a bank's vault and stole at least €10 million in cash and valuables from customers' safes. Police said in a statement that criminals drilled through the thick concrete wall of a branch of Sparkasse Bank in the western city of Gelsenkirchen, tore through thousands of safes, and stole tens of millions of euros worth of property. Most stores and banks in Germany have been closed since the night of December 24 during the Christmas period, and police did not discover the hole until the fire alarm sounded in the early hours of Monday morning, December 29. Dozens of angry customers gathered in front of the bank on Tuesday and shouted “Let's go in!” A spokesperson for Sparkasse Bank Gelsenkirchen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Police said eyewitnesses saw several men carrying large bags appear in the stairwell of a nearby parking lot on Saturday night. There are reports that a black Audi RS 6 left the garage early Monday morning with several masked men sitting in the car. Police said the vehicle's license plate belonged to a car stolen in Hanover.

German police said on Tuesday that thieves used the serenity of Christmas to sneak into a bank's vault and stole at least €10 million in cash and valuables from customers' safes. Police said in a statement that criminals drilled through the thick concrete wall of a branch of Sparkasse Bank in the western city of Gelsenkirchen, tore through thousands of safes, and stole tens of millions of euros worth of property. Most stores and banks in Germany have been closed since the night of December 24 during the Christmas period, and police did not discover the hole until the fire alarm sounded in the early hours of Monday morning, December 29. Dozens of angry customers gathered in front of the bank on Tuesday and shouted “Let's go in!” A spokesperson for Sparkasse Bank Gelsenkirchen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Police said eyewitnesses saw several men carrying large bags appear in the stairwell of a nearby parking lot on Saturday night. There are reports that a black Audi RS 6 left the garage early Monday morning with several masked men sitting in the car. Police said the vehicle's license plate belonged to a car stolen in Hanover.