Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 30 Nov. - 6 Dec. 2000 Issue No.510

Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters

Strenuous hunt for bank robbers

By Jailan Halawi

Security forces are combing hills and fields in southern Egypt in search of gunmen who robbed a bank in Al-Maragha, Sohag governorate, on 21 November, leaving behind 10 people killed and 11 injured.

Despite the laborious pursuit, police have not come any closer to identifying the assailants and apprehending them.

According to witnesses and security reports, five men armed with automatic rifles raided a branch of the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and escaped with LE600,000. The raiders had originally targeted the local branch of Banque Misr, but bank employees had prevented them from entering by locking them out. A police guard was shot dead in the skirmish.

The assailants then moved on to the nearby NBE branch, exchanged fire with police guards, entered the bank and ran away with the money.

In the process, several employees, police guards and bystanders were killed or injured. One of the assailants, who was shot and injured by police, was reportedly gunned down by an accomplice to prevent his capture. The shooter is said to have also fired at his partner's face leaving it completely disfigured so as to prevent police from establishing his identity. Three rounds of spent ammunition were found on the body of the dead robber.

Due to lax security measures surrounding the incident, Minister of Interior Habib El-Adli replaced Sohag's security chief, ordering him back to the ministry's Cairo headquarters.

According to the police investigators, nearly a week before the robbery, various security offices across the country had been cautioned that an unnamed group was planning to carry out an armed operation to obtain money to finance their criminal activities. Security chiefs were ordered to tighten security around possible targets, especially banks and jewellery shops. Al-Maragha police had apparently not taken the necessary action to secure these targets or prepare itself to deal with the attack. According to witnesses, police arrived at the bank nearly an hour after the attack -- long after the raiders had fled -- although the police station is a few minutes drive from the bank.

Witnesses gave conflicting reports on the duration of the attack and the time the robbers spent inside the bank. Some said the assailants were there for 35 minutes, while others said they were there for over an hour and that the operation lasted 45 to 75 minutes.

Baffled by the robbery, security authorities have expanded their investigation, searching for and gathering data on men they suspect might have been involved.

Security precautions around banks and commercial buildings across the country have been intensified. Hilly areas suspected of housing the perpetrators following their escape were cordoned off. Ambushes were set up at a number of locations where the assailants might have taken refuge. Meanwhile, the Al-Maragha police officers are being questioned about their grave mishandling of the whole affair.

Preliminary evidence indicates that some of the security men who should have been standing guard outside the bank were not in their posts at the time of the attack. If the investigation reveals that the police officers were negligent in discharging their duty, they will face a disciplinary court. The new security chief of Sohag gave strict orders to all security forces to raise their alertness level, change their tactics in securing vital locations across the governorate and increase the number of car patrols to ensure maximum security at these locations.

© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved

weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg