Robbers steal £32million worth of diamonds being loaded on to plane in meticulously planned armed heist at Brussels Airport
Eight men cut hole in security fence and burst through in fake police cars
Gang were armed with machine guns, but seized gems without firing a shot
Robbers sped off through same gap in fence just a few minutes later
Thought stones belonged to diamond and gold traders in Antwerp
By Ian Sparks, Suzannah Hills and Peter Allen
PUBLISHED: 10:26 GMT, 19 February 2013 | UPDATED: 16:40 GMT, 19 February 2013
Eight masked gunmen made a hole in a security fence at Brussels' international airport, drove onto the tarmac and snatched some $50million (£32m) worth of diamonds from the hold of a Swiss-bound plane without firing a shot.
The gang used fake police cars in their daring raid late yesterday, grabbed the cache of stones and sped off into the darkness.
'They tried to pass themselves off as police officers,' said Anja Bijnens, spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office.
They reportedly wore outfits which resembled dark police clothing and both cars had blue lights on top, she said.
Police found one burnt-out vehicle close to the airport later that night and said they were still looking for clues.
The heist was estimated at some $50million (£32m) in diamonds, said Caroline De Wolf of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.
'What we are talking about is obviously a gigantic sum,' De Wolf said.
It is thought the goods stolen belonged to diamond and gold traders in the Belgian city of Antwerp, the Belgian media reported
An airport spokesman said the robbers made a hole in the perimeter fence and drove up to the Swiss passenger plane, which was ready to leave, at about 8pm.
The bandits then got out and pointed the infra-red sights of their assault rifles on terrified Brink's security guards who were guarding an armoured van before taking the loot in two locked metal trunks from the hold.
Without firing a shot, they drove off through the same hole in the fence, completing the spectacular theft within barely five minutes, Bijnens said.
Airport spokesman Jan Van Der Cruijsse could not explain how the area could be so vulnerable to theft. 'We abide by the most stringent rules,' he said.
The Swiss flight, bound for Zurich and operated by Helvetic Airways, was canceled. Swiss, an affiliate of Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa AG, declined to comment on the heist, citing the ongoing judicial investigation.
The insurance for air transport - handled sometimes by airlines themselves or external insurance companies - is usually relatively cheap because it's considered to be the safest way of transporting small high value items, logistics experts say.
Unlike a car or a truck, an airplane cannot be waylaid by robbers once it's on its way, and it is considered to be very safe before the departure and after the plane's arrival because the aircraft is always within the confines of an airport - which are normally highly secured.
Philip Baum, an aviation security consultant in Britain, said the robbery was worrying - not because the fence was breached, but because the response did not appear to have been immediate. That, he said, raised questions as to whether alarms were ringing in the right places.
'It does seem very worrying that someone can actually have the time to drive two vehicles onto the airport, effect the robbery, and drive out without being intercepted,' Baum said.
That amount of time would also allow someone to board the plane, he said.
Police said an Audi saloon made to look like a police car with a flashing blue light was used in the raid, together with a Mercedes van.
The burnt-out Mercedes was found in a suburb of Brussels within an hour of the raid on the Helvetic Airways plane.
Mehdi Guenin, a spokesman for Swiss Airlines which operates Helvetic, said: 'The men were heavily armed but no shots were fired.
'They raced up to the aircraft and threatened security guards loading the valuables. They were gone again within only few minutes.'
The 8.05pm flight, which was packed with passengers at the time, was later cancelled.
A Brussels Airport police spokesman said a full investigation has been launched into the raid which happened shortly before 8pm as transport agents loaded the plane with cargo destined for one of the Swiss city's many secure banking vaults.
He said: 'Two vehicles got through security by breaking through a damaged barrier. No shots were fired during the attack, which was over within three minutes.'
He added: 'The incident involved only one plane and had no impact on the smooth-running of the airport for the rest of the evening.
'We are working with our counterparts throughout Belgium and in neighbouring countries to find those responsible.'
Airport spokesman Jan Van Der Crujsse added that the theft was completed within minutes.
He could not explain how the area would be vulnerable to theft, adding: 'We abide by the most stringent rules.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...us-stones-Brussels-Airport.html#ixzz2LN7gVmVL
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Eight men cut hole in security fence and burst through in fake police cars
Gang were armed with machine guns, but seized gems without firing a shot
Robbers sped off through same gap in fence just a few minutes later
Thought stones belonged to diamond and gold traders in Antwerp
By Ian Sparks, Suzannah Hills and Peter Allen
PUBLISHED: 10:26 GMT, 19 February 2013 | UPDATED: 16:40 GMT, 19 February 2013
Eight masked gunmen made a hole in a security fence at Brussels' international airport, drove onto the tarmac and snatched some $50million (£32m) worth of diamonds from the hold of a Swiss-bound plane without firing a shot.
The gang used fake police cars in their daring raid late yesterday, grabbed the cache of stones and sped off into the darkness.
'They tried to pass themselves off as police officers,' said Anja Bijnens, spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office.
They reportedly wore outfits which resembled dark police clothing and both cars had blue lights on top, she said.
Police found one burnt-out vehicle close to the airport later that night and said they were still looking for clues.
The heist was estimated at some $50million (£32m) in diamonds, said Caroline De Wolf of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.
'What we are talking about is obviously a gigantic sum,' De Wolf said.
It is thought the goods stolen belonged to diamond and gold traders in the Belgian city of Antwerp, the Belgian media reported
An airport spokesman said the robbers made a hole in the perimeter fence and drove up to the Swiss passenger plane, which was ready to leave, at about 8pm.
The bandits then got out and pointed the infra-red sights of their assault rifles on terrified Brink's security guards who were guarding an armoured van before taking the loot in two locked metal trunks from the hold.
Without firing a shot, they drove off through the same hole in the fence, completing the spectacular theft within barely five minutes, Bijnens said.
Airport spokesman Jan Van Der Cruijsse could not explain how the area could be so vulnerable to theft. 'We abide by the most stringent rules,' he said.
The Swiss flight, bound for Zurich and operated by Helvetic Airways, was canceled. Swiss, an affiliate of Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa AG, declined to comment on the heist, citing the ongoing judicial investigation.
The insurance for air transport - handled sometimes by airlines themselves or external insurance companies - is usually relatively cheap because it's considered to be the safest way of transporting small high value items, logistics experts say.
Unlike a car or a truck, an airplane cannot be waylaid by robbers once it's on its way, and it is considered to be very safe before the departure and after the plane's arrival because the aircraft is always within the confines of an airport - which are normally highly secured.
Philip Baum, an aviation security consultant in Britain, said the robbery was worrying - not because the fence was breached, but because the response did not appear to have been immediate. That, he said, raised questions as to whether alarms were ringing in the right places.
'It does seem very worrying that someone can actually have the time to drive two vehicles onto the airport, effect the robbery, and drive out without being intercepted,' Baum said.
That amount of time would also allow someone to board the plane, he said.
Police said an Audi saloon made to look like a police car with a flashing blue light was used in the raid, together with a Mercedes van.
The burnt-out Mercedes was found in a suburb of Brussels within an hour of the raid on the Helvetic Airways plane.
Mehdi Guenin, a spokesman for Swiss Airlines which operates Helvetic, said: 'The men were heavily armed but no shots were fired.
'They raced up to the aircraft and threatened security guards loading the valuables. They were gone again within only few minutes.'
The 8.05pm flight, which was packed with passengers at the time, was later cancelled.
A Brussels Airport police spokesman said a full investigation has been launched into the raid which happened shortly before 8pm as transport agents loaded the plane with cargo destined for one of the Swiss city's many secure banking vaults.
He said: 'Two vehicles got through security by breaking through a damaged barrier. No shots were fired during the attack, which was over within three minutes.'
He added: 'The incident involved only one plane and had no impact on the smooth-running of the airport for the rest of the evening.
'We are working with our counterparts throughout Belgium and in neighbouring countries to find those responsible.'
Airport spokesman Jan Van Der Crujsse added that the theft was completed within minutes.
He could not explain how the area would be vulnerable to theft, adding: 'We abide by the most stringent rules.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...us-stones-Brussels-Airport.html#ixzz2LN7gVmVL
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