Champagne thief caught in Germany's Saarland

A waiter pours a glass of champagne. A wanted champagne thief has been caught in Germany's Saarland region and is now in prison. Hannes P Albert/dpa

A wanted champagne thief has been caught in Germany's Saarland region and is now in prison.

The 56-year-old had hidden several bottles of champagne under his rain jacket in a supermarket in the town of Riegelsberg on Saturday and tried to leave the shop, the police in the nearby town of Völklingen announced on Sunday.

When the man was checked, it was discovered that he was the subject of an arrest warrant.

The champagne thief had previously been caught more than 20 times in Germany, mainly in southern Germany, a police spokeswoman said.

A judge confirmed the arrest warrant on Sunday and the man was taken to prison.