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Hostage robbers in huge bank haul Police hunt 7m euro bank robbers
(39 minutes later)
An armed gang which held hostage a bank official's family overnight at their County Kildare home is thought to have got away with up to 7m euros (£6.2m). Police in the Irish Republic are hunting an armed gang which has carried out the country's biggest ever robbery.
The official was forced to withdraw the cash from the Bank of Ireland at College Green in Dublin city centre. The gang forced a bank official to withdraw an estimated 7m euros (£6.2m) from the Bank of Ireland branch where he works at College Green in Dublin.
The gang had forced their way into their home in Kilteel and took his partner, her mother and a seven-year-old child hostage. They forced their way into his home in County Kildare on Thursday night and took his partner, her mother and a five-year-old boy hostage.
His partner was beaten before the family was driven away in their car. The man's partner was beaten and the family taken away.
After taking out the money, the bank employee handed it over to the gang at Clontarf DART station in north Dublin. The official, who is in his 20s, was then forced to drive his car to the city centre bank.
His family was released in the Ashbourne area of County Meath at about 0700 GMT. Police said they were not injured, but were traumatised by their ordeal. After withdrawing the money, he handed it over to the gang at Clontarf DART station.
In 2004, a gang forced two employees of Northern Bank to help it steal £26m from the bank's central Belfast vault. His girlfriend's family was then released in the Ashbourne area of County Meath at around 0700 GMT on Friday.
In 2004, a gang forced two employees of the Northern Bank to help it steal £26m from the bank's central Belfast vault.
The Irish Justice minister, Dermot Ahern, said there was an onus on the banks to improve their procedures and security.