A bank branch in the southern Bulgarian Black Sea town of Tsarevo was stormed by a man armed with a knife and a samurai sword.
The man entered the office threatening the workers and demanded to be immediately given BGN 3000 in BGN 100 bills.
One of the bank officers attempted to push the panic button and after a conversation with the police the man was persuaded to give up his weapons.
The 39-year-old was a resident of a village near Pazardzhik in central southern Bulgaria, and was left unemployed for a while, suffering financial problems.