UK News 22-12-2004 Bank Raiders Escape With £20million who: Assistant chief constable Sam Kinkaid what: Leads inquiry into £20million bank robbery where: BELFAST when: Yesterday snippet: "Armed robbers escaped with £20 million in cash in the world`s biggest peacetime bank robbery after looting the vaults of the Northern Bank in Belfast in a 24-hour hostage drama," reports The Times. "A huge manhunt was under way last night after the raid on the bank`s headquarters." "More than a dozen men are belived to have been involved in the intricately planned operation, which started with the kidnapping of the families of two bank executives on Sunday night," says The Independent. "The families were taken away and the gang threatened to kill them if the executives did not co-operate." "The Northern Bank held an estimated £30 million," says The Scotsman, "but it is thought the criminals` only error was not having sufficient transport to take away the entire contents of the vaults." "Police were first alerted to the robbery at around 11.45pm last night," says the ITV news website. "Detectives arrived at the scene shortly after," says The Telegraph, "and a major forensic operation was mounted. The two bank employees and their families have been interviewed." [... more]

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