http://www.thelocal.se/22234/20090923/
Robbers used a helicopter to carry out a spectacular theft at a cash depot south of Stockholm early Wednesday morning.
Several powerful explosions were heard in the early hours on Monday coming from the G4S security company’s facilities in Västberga, south of Stockholm. Among other things, the building houses a cash depot.
Police received a call about the incident at 5.19am.
The chief of police for the southern district in Stockholm, Ulrika Lönngren, who has her office in Västberga, reported hearing several loud explosions and a helicopter hovering above the depot.
The helicopter later left the area and headed north, said Lönngren.
“The helicopter landed on the roof. Then they entered the building by breaking some windows. Next, several explosions were heard from within the building, and then they were seen loading things into the helicopter and lifting off,” she told the TT news agency.
The entire area surrounding the G4S facility has been cordoned off and police have set up a command centre at a nearby petrol station, where a large number of officers, police dogs, and emergency vehicles have gathered.
An officer on the scene told TT that the robbers made their daring rooftop landing and then entered the building using sledgehammers or something similar to break through the roof.
Caltrops had been spread out near the facility in an attempt to complicate efforts by police to approach the scene.
According to the southern district police, Sweden’s National Task Force, a paramilitary tactical unit within the National Criminal Investigation Department (Rikskriminalpolisen), is on its way.
Police helicopters located on nearby Värmdö were unable to be used in response to the robbery, prompting suspicions that they had been sabotaged.
But police spokesperson Björn Engström said that the helicopters hadn’t been damaged. Rather, suspicious objects had been placed beside them, forcing officers to examine the objects and helicopters before using attempting to take off.
Police believe the helicopter used in the heist was stolen. One source told TT that it was a privately-owned helicopter from Bromma airport west of Stockholm.
According to Lönngren, there were between 10 and 20 employees in the cash depot at the time of the heist. They are now being interviewed by police.
Robbers used a helicopter to carry out a spectacular theft at a cash depot south of Stockholm early Wednesday morning.
Several powerful explosions were heard in the early hours on Monday coming from the G4S security company’s facilities in Västberga, south of Stockholm. Among other things, the building houses a cash depot.
Police received a call about the incident at 5.19am.
The chief of police for the southern district in Stockholm, Ulrika Lönngren, who has her office in Västberga, reported hearing several loud explosions and a helicopter hovering above the depot.
The helicopter later left the area and headed north, said Lönngren.
“The helicopter landed on the roof. Then they entered the building by breaking some windows. Next, several explosions were heard from within the building, and then they were seen loading things into the helicopter and lifting off,” she told the TT news agency.
The entire area surrounding the G4S facility has been cordoned off and police have set up a command centre at a nearby petrol station, where a large number of officers, police dogs, and emergency vehicles have gathered.
An officer on the scene told TT that the robbers made their daring rooftop landing and then entered the building using sledgehammers or something similar to break through the roof.
Caltrops had been spread out near the facility in an attempt to complicate efforts by police to approach the scene.
According to the southern district police, Sweden’s National Task Force, a paramilitary tactical unit within the National Criminal Investigation Department (Rikskriminalpolisen), is on its way.
Police helicopters located on nearby Värmdö were unable to be used in response to the robbery, prompting suspicions that they had been sabotaged.
But police spokesperson Björn Engström said that the helicopters hadn’t been damaged. Rather, suspicious objects had been placed beside them, forcing officers to examine the objects and helicopters before using attempting to take off.
Police believe the helicopter used in the heist was stolen. One source told TT that it was a privately-owned helicopter from Bromma airport west of Stockholm.
According to Lönngren, there were between 10 and 20 employees in the cash depot at the time of the heist. They are now being interviewed by police.
