Albanian bakery war: German, Kosovo citizens sentenced to prison for attempted robbery

A Budapest court has meted out an 8-year prison sentence to a German and a Kosovar national, respectively, and a 9.5-year sentence to another Kosovar national over a violent attack and an armed robbery attempt against an Albanian bakery, in a non-binding ruling on Monday.

The German national, the chief suspect, attacked the owner of the bakery in Pomáz, near Budapest, on the first instance in February 2018, but escaped from the scene, the court said in a statement.

He returned in January 2019 to Hungary and teaming up with two Kosovar accomplices carried out an attack against the same bakery on February 22 carrying a gun and a knife.

They tied the Albanian owner and two employees, and the German national demanded one million euros in cash threatening “to kill them”, if they don’t pay the sum. They also tied the owner’s family member who in the meanwhile entered the shop and a brawl developed during which the gun was thrown away and went off. Residents in the neighbourhood woke up and rushed to rescue the victims.

• EUR 1,680 for a few drinks?! Here are the biggest tourist scams of recent years in Budapest – VIDEOS

The court handed the prison term to the German and the Kosovar suspect over attempted robbery, attack and violation of property and maintained their pre-trial detention.

The third suspect received the prison sentence for attempted robbery and instigating an attack and has been placed in pre-trial detention.

The decision can be appealed, the court said.

Read alsoHungarian Jihadist planned mass murders in Budapest and Siófok