German police search for son of kidnapped banker

German police searched woods south of Frankfurt today for the kidnapped 11-year-old son of a prominent city banker.

Jakob, the son of Friedrich von Metzler, disappeared on Friday on his way home from school and has not been released despite a €1m ransom payment.

Police spokesman Karlheinz Wagner said one of two people who were detained in connection with the case said the boy might be in woods south of the city.

Another two suspects – brothers from Frankfurt, aged 21 and 23 – were arrested overnight and were being questioned.

It was not immediately clear how the four people being held were connected to the case, and police declined to give further details.

A schoolmate said he saw Jakob get off a public bus in the Sachsenhausen section of Frankfurt, a short distance from his home, at about 10:30 am on Friday, and the boy has not been seen since, according to police.

About an hour later the family received a note demanding the ransom payment, with an assurance that the boy would be released unhurt once it was paid.