Five people in their 60s and 60s have been arrested in Germany and charged with kidnapping and beating an American investment adviser.

The suspects aged 60, 63, 66, 74 and 79 were arrested during a police raid of a house in Chieming near the Austrian border on Saturday. The 56-year-old kidnap victim was found in the cellar of the property.

Chieming police told Thelocal.de that the victim had bruises and broken ribs. He had been held captive for four days and the kidnappers, who include an American, were allegedly demanding money from him.

The victim was able to tip his situation and location to a person whom he called after his kidnappers asked him to make a call to raise money for his release.

Two of the kidnappers seized the victim from his home in Speyer near Heidelberg gagging him with an electrical tape, stuffing him in the trunk of his car and driving him 280 miles to Chieming on Wednesday, according to police.