The theft of the Manching Celtic gold is one of the most sensational museum break-ins in recent years.

The verdict in the trial surrounding the sensational gold theft at the Celtic Roman Museum in Manching is scheduled to be announced today (9:30 a.m.). Four men from northern Germany will face charges of aggravated gang theft in the proceedings before the Ingolstadt Regional Court.

They are said to have broken into the archaeological museum in Manching, Upper Bavaria, at night in November 2022 and stolen the approximately 2,100-year-old Celtic gold treasure within minutes. More than 3.7 kilograms of gold were stolen, most of which remains missing to this day.

The public prosecutor has called for prison sentences of between six and a half and twelve years for the defendants. The evidence against the men constitutes a "composite mosaic," the prosecutor said. The defense attorneys, however, consider their clients unconvicted and have called for acquittals.

The criminal chamber held more than 30 hearings over the course of six months. Approximately 120 witnesses and expert witnesses were heard. The case is not limited to the Manching museum break-in; nearly 20 other crimes have also been charged. The four men are said to have traveled throughout Germany and Austria for years, breaking into shopping centers and cracking safes or ATMs, for example.

The main defendant is a 48-year-old man from Plate near Schwerin. Co-defendants are two Schwerin residents, aged 44 and 52. The fourth defendant is a 45-year-old man from Berlin, who was carrying several small gold nuggets when he was arrested. These are said to be melted-down coins from Manching. All four are in custody and have remained silent during the trial.

The 483 coins and a large lump of gold were discovered during excavations in Manching in 1999. It is the largest Celtic gold find of the 20th century. The public prosecutor's office estimates the material value at one and a half million euros.

Before the museum break-in, the perpetrators had disabled Manching's telephone exchange to prevent an alarm from being triggered by the museum's security company. As a result, approximately 13,000 households and businesses were left without telephone and internet access for an extended period. The museum had no functioning security system that would have continued to function in the event of such a power outage.