Superheroes steal fancy food for poor

Police in Hamburg are after a gang of rogue superheroes who steal gourmet food and distribute it to the poorest Germans.

The anarchist super friends have been raiding exclusive restaurants and high-end groceries for months.

They burst in, load baskets and sacks with the gastronomical prizes, and then vanish without a trace.

"The gang members seemingly take delight in injecting humour into their raids, which rely on sheer numbers and the confusion caused by their presence," Allan Hall wrote in the Scotsman today.

"After they plundered Kobe beef fillets, champagne and smoked salmon from a gourmet store on the exclusive Elbastrasse, they presented the cashier with a bouquet of flowers before making their getaway."

The modern-day Robin Hoods then headed off to hand out the loot.

"Afterwards, they redistributed the food among underpaid janitors at a university, day laborers, trainees at an advertising company, and parents and educators at a daycare," the website Bombs & Shields reported. "The police used 14 cars and a helicopter to find them, but had no luck."

Police spokesman Bodo Franz said, "They try to make crime fun but are politically motivated."

The masked merry men have said in Internet statements that the food is for "Harz IV recipients," the absolute poorest of Germany's growing long-term jobless population -- now more than 4.5 million people.