Police say the robbers in a violent raid on money transport company G4S in Nieuwengein near Utrecht in central Netherlands on Thursday have got away without any booty.

The robbers used explosives to blow up a door in the side of a money depot early in the morning. The G4S staff in the building managed to get to safety and nobody was hurt. A police chase ensued but a police helicopter was hampered by thick fog and the robbers got away in two Audis heading south. The cars were last spotted just down the road in Gorinchem. Police are combing the country to trace the get-away vehicles.

Police believe the robbery may be connected to an equally spectacular robbery of a money depot in Amsterdam belonging to security firm Brinks in June last year. Explosives were used in this raid too. The armed robbers escaped during stormy weather in fast cars heading south. One of the cars crashed on the motorway and the robbers forced a van driver at gunpoint to hand over his vehicle. Police were forced to give up the chase as the robbers did not shy away from using automatic weapons. The gunmen fled across the border to Belgium. In this case, three suspects have recently been arrested, two in Amsterdam and one in Belgium.

(nc)

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