"Armed gang makes off with millions from secured area of Amsterdam airport"

Friday, February 25, 2005

Airport gems raid 'nets millions'
Cable News Network (CNN)
 
 
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Thieves hijacked an armored car from the KLM cargo
ramp at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport Friday and made off with millions of
dollars in diamonds and jewelry, the Dutch airline said.

The cargo was bound for the Belgian city Antwerp, Europe's diamond capital,
and worth at least £52 million ($100m), UK's Press Association reported.

The thieves seized the vehicle after threatening the guards, the airline
told The Associated Press. No one was injured in the heist. 

The thieves, disguised as airline workers, made off with a van loaded with
diamonds, including a £1.2 million ($2.2m) consignment from a London firm,
the UK's Press Association reported.

PA said that the gang hijacked a KLM cargo vehicle loaded with high-value
goods as it drove across a runway at around 10 a.m. (0900 GMT).

"We believe the gang arrived in a car and forced their way into a KLM
vehicle loaded with high-value goods," a spokesman for the Dutch Royal
Marechausse told PA. 

"They were armed, but it is not clear if they were carrying guns or other
weapons. A team of 25 officers are making inquiries and attempting to
discover how much was stolen." 

"It was a secured area of the airport, so it's a big question how those
people could get there," airline spokesman Frank Houben told AP.

The armored car was recovered later in Hoofdorp, a business town just
outside the airport perimeter, Hoiuben said. Dutch police were dusting the
vehicle for fingerprints and searching for other clues, he added.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************