Västberga helicopter robbery
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The Västberga helicopter robbery occurred on 23 September 2009 at 05:15 CET when a G4S cash service depot was robbed in Västberga in southern Stockholm, Sweden.[1][2] The robbers used a stolen Bell 206 Jet Ranger as transport and landed on the rooftop of the G4S building.[3] The police were unable to use their own helicopters to pursue the robbers since decoy bombs had been placed close to them.[4] A 7 million SEK reward was announced the following day for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the robbers and/or the return of the stolen goods.[5] This was the first robbery involving a helicopter in Swedish history.[6] All the men responsible for the robberies were sentenced to prison on October 10, 2010.
Events of September 23
- A Bell 206 helicopter is stolen from Roslagens helicopter base in Norrtälje.
- The helicopter arrives at 5:15 (CEST) at the G4S Cash service building. Three to four people land on the rooftop and break the reinforced glass window with a sledgehammer. Small bombs go off inside the building, likely to blow security doors open. No people are physically harmed. Bags of money are thereafter loaded into the helicopter. The sum is unknown.
- The Swedish police arrive at 05:25 (CEST) but do not intervene, due to reports of the use of submachine guns.
- The helicopter takes off from the rooftop at 5:35 (CEST) with all the robbers and the money on board.
- Prior to the robbery, caltrops had been placed on the roads around the cash service building to prevent police cars from gaining access and decoy bombs were placed on the police helicopter base at Myttinge on the island of Värmdö.
- The helicopter landed at Kanaanbadet.[7]
- The helicopter the robbers used is found at 08:15 (CEST) in the woods just outside a field at Skavlöten in Arninge, thirty kilometers north of Stockholm.
- Two JAS 39 Gripen were conducting a drill over Östersjön and the Swedish Air Force offered assistance. It was turned down since the robbery was a civilian matter and not a military one.
Subsequent events
- Swedish police arrest six male suspects in connection with the robbery. They are listed as being aged 21 to 36, but otherwise unidentified in accordance with Swedish privacy law.[8]
- Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić claims that former members of the BIA Red Berets took part in the robbery. One month prior to the robbery, the Swedish Embassy was allegedly given "certain information about a criminal group which was preparing a robbery" by Serbian police.[9]
Sentences
7 men were sentenced to prison terms in October 2010 for their participation in the robbery.[10]
- Helicopter pilot Alexander Eriksson
- 7 years imprisonment
- Robber Saha Kadhum
- 7 years imprisonment
- Organizer Charbel Charro
- 5 years imprisonment
- Organizer Mikael Södergran
- 5 years imprisonment
- Organizer Goran Bojovic
- 3 years imprisonment
- Falsified alibi provider Marcus Axelsson
- 2 years imprisonment
- Falsified alibi provider Unknown
- 1 year imprisonment
References
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