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Police hunt 7m euro bank robbers Seven held after Irish £6.2m raid
(about 5 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 have arrested six men and a woman in connection with the country's biggest ever bank 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. On Friday, an armed gang forced a bank official to withdraw an estimated 7m euros (£6.2m) from the Bank of Ireland branch at College Green, Dublin.
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. They had taken his partner, her mother and a five-year-old boy hostage.
The man's partner was beaten and the family taken away. Gardai have identified a notorious organised crime gang from Dublin's north inner city as the prime suspects.
The official, who is in his 20s, was then forced to drive his car to the city centre bank. In a dramatic string of swoops across the Irish capital, one house was raided, two cars were stopped and searched, and cash seized.
After withdrawing the money, he handed it over to the gang at Clontarf DART station. Laundry bags
His girlfriend's family was then released in the Ashbourne area of County Meath at around 0700 GMT on Friday. The gang had forced their way into the home of Bank of Ireland employee Shane Travers in County Kildare on Thursday night.
His partner, Stephanie Smith, was beaten and the family bundled into a van and driven from the house.
The 24-year-old junior key holder was forced to drive into work early on Friday.
After filling laundry bags with brand new notes from the company's landmark central Dublin branch, he handed it over to the gang at Clontarf DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) station.
His partner's family were 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 hostagePolice 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, Justice minister
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.