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Police hunt 7m euro bank robbers | Police hunt 7m euro bank robbers |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Police in the Irish Republic are hunting an armed gang which has carried out the country's biggest ever robbery. | Police in the Irish Republic are hunting an armed gang which has carried out the country's biggest ever robbery. |
The gang forced a bank official to withdraw an estimated 7m euros (£6.2m) from the Bank of Ireland branch at College Green, Dublin, where he works. | |
They had 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. | |
The man's partner was beaten and the family taken away. | The man's partner was beaten and the family taken away. |
The official, who is in his 20s, was then forced to drive his car to the city centre bank. | The official, who is in his 20s, was then forced to drive his car to the city centre bank. |
After withdrawing the money, he handed it over to the gang at Clontarf DART station. | After withdrawing the money, he handed it over to the gang at Clontarf DART station. |
His girlfriend's family was then released in the Ashbourne area of County Meath at around 0700 GMT on Friday. | His girlfriend's family was then released in the Ashbourne area of County Meath at around 0700 GMT on Friday. |
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Police outside the house where the banker's family were held hostage | Police outside the house where the banker's family were held hostage |
It is a fact that gardai didn't know about this incident until the money had actually left the bank premises Dermot Ahern | It is a fact that gardai didn't know about this incident until the money had actually left the bank premises Dermot Ahern |
The Irish Justice minister, Dermot Ahern, said he was deeply concerned that proper procedures were not followed at the bank. | The Irish Justice minister, Dermot Ahern, said he was deeply concerned that proper procedures were not followed at the bank. |
"It is a fact that gardai didn't know about this incident until the money had actually left the bank premises. | "It is a fact that gardai didn't know about this incident until the money had actually left the bank premises. |
"Under normal protocol that shouldn't be the case, because the sooner they know about it, the sooner they can put in the necessary checkpoints, etc." | "Under normal protocol that shouldn't be the case, because the sooner they know about it, the sooner they can put in the necessary checkpoints, etc." |
In 2004, a gang forced two employees of the Northern Bank to help it steal £26m from the bank's central Belfast vault. | In 2004, a gang forced two employees of the Northern Bank to help it steal £26m from the bank's central Belfast vault. |