German police nab stripper with 'deceptively realistic' gun

Police in Frankfurt on Monday reported what they called a "dangerous situation with an apparent weapon" that their officers had neutralized during the bank holiday weekend.

Officers had received several calls about a young man dressed like a US police officer wearing a helmet and carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle, seemingly loitering on the Oeder Weg street just north of the city center.

Police said "several radio patrols" had converged on the man's position.

"Because of the overall situation and the fact, that it was not apparent whether the weapon was real or a replica, the man was arrested by pulling the firearm from his grasp," police wrote in a press release on the incident. "He was brought to the ground and handcuffed."  

Police said that the man, a 31-year-old, had carried a "deceptively realistic-looking toy gun" as part of what turned out to be his costume. 

"Eventually investigations showed that the man was a stripper, who had been called to a pub on Oeder Weg for a stag night," police said. "The 31-year-old underestimated the martial effect of his own outfit." 

The case of mistaken identity took place on Friday evening. Police said the suspect was released again once they had clarified the situation. They did not say whether the stag party had to make do without one part of its night's merriment. 

msh/dj (dpa, DW sources)