[Kobun]

The robbery a few weeks back in this thread (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75098) has some updates.

It is believed that 1.8 Billion Kroner (Aprox $257 Million) in Norwegian and foreign currency was taken in the robbery.
This clearly puts the robbery as the biggest ever in Norway, and probably one of the biggest in world history.

The suspected mastermind has been arested, and is currently in jail. (Top picture) He was arrested with a backpack filled with money as he was about to go on the run a few hours after these pictures were released to the media.

http://aftenbladet.no/multimedia/archive/00072/4_ranssiktede_etterl_72459a.jpg

The suspects are from Yugoslavia, Albania and the Scandinavian countries.

After the murder of the responding police officer, many man hours has been spent trying to find the people behind the robbery.
Aprox $15mill has been spent so far on the investigations.

[buy guns]

wow

[Foreign Devil]

I'm interested to see the source of the guns ... pilfered from Norway military/police arsenals I guess is a logical source.

[4v50 Gary]

Oh, those clean-cut boys couldn't have done it. I suggest we tattoo the American flag on left & right arm of all of them, dress them up like our troops and send them to Iraq where they can be used as ambush bait. It would be a no-lose situation.

[Roadkill Coyote]

Well, let's see. In the Balkans, Europe got...

A region that just went through the nastiness of civil war (actually a series of them).
Lots of the losers are unhappy with the results and some sympathetic to criminal activity by their former champions.
Plenty of military equipment and experianced hoodlums left over.
Advances in regional transportation/integration making it easy for these fellows to take advantage of banks with relatively lax security.

The James or the Daltons would have fit right in, wouldn't they?

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Eminem was in Norway?

Huh.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[c_yeager]

Well, let's see. In the Balkans, Europe got...

Bear in mind the robbery took place in Norway rather far from the Balkans. Although that would be a likely source for weapons.

[carpettbaggerr]

Eminem was in Norway? Looks like Ivan Drago to me.


I must break you :neener:

[Beetle Bailey]

Thanks for the update. Wow, that sure is a lot of money and it's good to know those guys have been caught. Too bad about the officer. . .

[NonServiam]

Kobun, isn't the suspected "mastermind" (just reffering to any of these as "master minds" makes me giggle :rolleyes:. Come on, look at them! :p) the third one from the top? Also a chess genious, apparently ...

Hope the rest are caught as well. If they are hiding in Norway, there may be some chance of that. If any of them had any mind at all, let alone a master mind :rolleyes:, they would be out of the country a long time ago.

The lawyer of the arrested suspect made some statements yesterday about how the shooting was the fault of police. Shooting at armed robbers was stupid, as they had no choice but to shoot back :banghead:

[PATH]

These people killed a police officer. Does Norway have a death penalty?

[NonServiam]

PATH: No, maximum sentence of 21 years. Usually released after serving 2/3rds of the sentence, depending on the severity of the crime and the risk of repetition. The criminally insane can be kept indefinitely beyond that, and in some cases also high risk repeat offenders.

Not a big fan of the death penalty myself, it is not missed. We should however have a longer maximum sentence and be a lot more selective in who are released early.

The general attitude towards death penalty and long prison sentences is a lot different in Norway than in the US. In part it reflects the lower level of crime, but also a (naive) belief in rehabilitation. As crime rises, the laws will probably toughen ...

[Kobun]

"Master mind" is an expression, not a stating fact.
Oh, and he might just be a master mind, compared to those he works with. It does not in any way reflect on anyone else. :p

[Ryder]

Come on, look at them! ) the third one from the top? Also a chess genious

I agree with your opinion on this but I've been previously corrected by somebody here that criminals look just like your neighbor ;) I don't base my total evaluation of somebody on how they look but you have to start somewhere. These guys look like no neigbor I've ever had before and I've been around. Wouldn't trust them to get within arm's reach.

Quarter billion dollars? For what? I wouldn't take that much money if it were given to me.

[Mannlicher]

I just was reading a Kerry press release, and he blame lax law inforcement by George Bush as the reason these guys were able to pull this caper. He stated that he would not have allowed a robbery to take place on HIS watch. I understand he also solicited a campaign donation from the perps.