A Chinese robber threatened to blow up a restaurant with sausages, disguised as explosives, strapped to his body.
The 23-year-old man ate a meal at the restaurant, in Benxi, Heilongjang province, before grabbing the owner’s daughter.
He put a knife to her neck and demanded cash from the till – but the restaurateur and other diners overpowered him.
They called the police – but when officers arrived the man, named He, jumped to his feet and revealed his ‘explosive’ belt.
Police managed to restrain He and took him outside to an open space – and called bomb disposal experts, reports the Huashang Morning Post.
“When they experts arrived, they laughed out loud as they quickly realised the explosives were actually sausages,” said a police spokesman.
He said he staged the robbery because he was depressed after splitting up with his girlfriend. He told police he had been “inspired” by the shape of the sausages.
He said: “I needed some excitement in my life and to that extent it was a success.”