The mother of a gunman nicknamed "Rambo" has told police to stop searching for him in a forest which he fled to after disarming four officers at gunpoint.
The manhunt began in the Black Forest area in Oppenau in south-west Germany on Sunday after police were alerted about a suspicious person carrying a bow and arrow.
Police said the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Yves Etienne Rausch, initially cooperated but then suddenly pulled a gun on the officers, threatening and forcing them to hand over their weapons. No one was injured in the incident.
Authorities believe that Rausch is still in the forest, but his mother has now called for the officers to call off the manhunt.
"They should withdraw all their forces," she told the Baden online website. "After one or two days he'll come out of the forest by himself."
Rausch lost his apartment last year and has had no permanent address since then, German authorities said.
His mother said he had gone to stay at an aunt's house before making a home for himself in a hut in the forest. She said "he wanted to escape into nature, to be free".
She explained that he grew his own vegetables and also carved wooden gnomes which he hoped to sell.
Authorities have now issued an arrest warrant for Rausch on suspicion of robbery by extortion. Police said he is "considered violent and is armed with several firearms".
Some 200 officers were involved in the search on Tuesday, down from 440 on Monday.
Prosecutor Herwig Schaefer said the suspect was banned from possessing weapons and ammunition in 2010 and had never been in a shooting club.
Mr Schaefer said officials don't know what prompted Rausch to act the way he did but officials don't think there is any far-right activity in his background.
The prosecutor described Rausch as a "weapons enthusiast".
