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57 arrested in Basra bank robbery
The Associated Press ^ | April 20, 2003

Posted on 04/19/2003 7:22:09 PM PDT by Indy Pendance

FIFTY-seven Iraqis have been arrested after an audacious attempt to rob a branch of the national bank in Basra, a British army officer said.

The group managed to blast open one of six vaults in the bank with grenades which they had attached to one-metre thick concrete walls after breaking in through the basement of the building, Lieutenant William Horley of the Irish Guards said.

But the sound of the blasts alerted British troops in a nearby base and "we caught 57 red-handed", said Horley.

"They had bin bags full of notes, pressed and bound up in cellophane."

Most of Basra's banks were raided in the aftermath of the city's fall to British troops nearly two weeks ago but the manager of the central bank had been confident that security measures were adequate to prevent an attack on his establishment, said Horley.

British tanks have now been placed outside the branch in a bid to prevent any further bid to storm the bank.

Money and gold bullion in the remaining vaults is now likely to be transferred to a more secure location.

The officer said pools of blood had been found in the basement, possibly indicating that shots had been exchanged between rival robbers, but no bodies or injured people were found at the scene.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bank; basra; embeddedreport; iraqifreedom; vaults

1 posted on 04/19/2003 7:22:09 PM PDT by Indy Pendance
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To: Indy Pendance
57? Sounds like a few people started the job and the loitering rabble joined in.
2 posted on 04/19/2003 8:04:30 PM PDT by jlogajan
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To: jlogajan
Watching those "Ali Babbas" splitting the take would be a movie in itself.
3 posted on 04/20/2003 7:49:24 AM PDT by battlegearboat ("Saddam party of fifty five, your table is ready")
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To: Indy Pendance
Hmmmmmm....

4 posted on 04/20/2003 7:53:09 AM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: Tijeras_Slim
The funniest vehicle they have used so far is an ice cream truck in Baghdad to rob a bank. (The Good Humor Man)
5 posted on 04/20/2003 8:31:25 AM PDT by sheikdetailfeather
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