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ROBBERY

Axe-wielding robbers steal €400k of jewels from luxury Paris hotel

French police are searching for a team of robbers who stole thousands of euros' worth of jewels and luxury clothing in a nighttime raid at a plush hotel in Paris.

Axe-wielding robbers steal €400k of jewels from luxury Paris hotel
Thieves targeted the Peninsula Hotel in Paris. Photo: AFP

Two men wearing balaclavas and gloves entered the Peninsula hotel, just a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe, shortly after midnight and held employees at gunpoint, police sources said.

One of the attackers then used an axe to break into four display cases, making off with items worth a total of €350,000 to €400,000.

An accomplice then drove them away in a car that was found burning shortly afterwards in the suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, west of the capital.

No shots were fired and no one was injured in the robbery, the sources said.

France's organised crime brigade has taken over the inquiry.

Luxury Paris hotels have been the target of several robberies in recent years, as have jewellery stores and wealthy tourists visiting the city.

In January 2018, three men were charged over an audacious yet unsuccessful jewellery heist at the Ritz, after they were thwarted by locked doors as they tried to flee.

Last September, three Russian tourists were robbed of thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry and luxury clothing shortly after landing at a Paris airport reserved for private jets.

Member comments

  1. “*worth* a total of €350,000 to €400,000” – as insured … real value 1/10th of that.

  2. The robbers of course ARE criminals. But there is a weird, existential “justice” perhaps going on here, since people having hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of show-off jewelry are demonstrable (a) stunningly shallow [they need “stuff” to compensate for their ZERO self-image] and (b) (to quote Honoré Balzac): “Behind all great wealth lies a crime.” So, most likely, obvious criminals stealing from Carefully Hidden From Scrutiny . . . criminals. Ho hum.

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AIRPORT

Guard critically injured in robbery at Cologne-Bonn Airport

Police in North Rhine-Westphalia are on the hunt for three masked attackers who robbed an armoured vehicle at the Cologne-Bonn Airport. A security guard was seriously injured in the incident.

Guard critically injured in robbery at Cologne-Bonn Airport
A burned out getaway vehicle was found on the outskirts of Cologne. Image: DPA

A security officer is in a critical condition after he was shot in an attempted robbery at the Cologne-Bonn airport on Wednesday morning. 

The guard was driving an armoured money transport vehicle when it was set upon by three armed men in masks. After shots were fired, the men fled in a black car which was later found burnt out in Porz, a town on the outskirts of Cologne. 

Officials are unsure whether the robbery was successful, although there are some media reports that the attackers were able to escape with a suitcase. 

Police spokesman Wolfgang Baldes told DPA investigations into the robbery were continuing. 

“This morning, around a quarter-to-nine, three masked and armed men raided a money carrier here (outside the airport),” Baldes said. 

“Two employees of the (armed carrier) company were outside of the vehicle at the time when the shots were fired. One employee of the company has been severely injured. He is now in a clinic undergoing surgery,” he said.

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Flights have not been affected by the incident, although a small area outside the entrance to the airport has been cordoned off by forensic teams.

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