By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 10 July 2014:
Just 24 hours after gunmen stole LD 1.5 million from a bank vehicle on the . . .[restrict]outskirts of Sirte, the town was today hit by yet another bank robbery, this time by an armed gang at the Bank of North Africa in the centre of the town.
A group of ten robbers struck this morning, armed with guns, RPGs and grenades. They stole just a tenth of what was stolen yesterday – LD 150,000 – firing indiscriminately outside the building as they made their escape.
One of the robbers was reportedly shot in the chest during the incident and taken to the town’s Ibn Sina Hospital. There are unconfirmed reports that he has since died. It is not known if the young man, named as Mohamed Issa Embarak, was hit by one of his own group’s bullets.
Coming so close on the heels of yesterday’s heist, the town’s banks appear to have had enough. They closed their doors to business today until further notice. Complaining about the dangers they face, staff demanded proper security from the government and reminded the authorities of their obligations to secure and protect banks.
Meanwhile, with no police and army to enforce law, the spate of bank robberies continues unabated elsewhere. In Wadi Ashatti, LD 1.7 million was reported stolen today from the Gumhouriya Bank in an armed robbery that saw a bank security guard and a bank clerk wounded.
It is reported that some of the paper tags attached to the bundles of stolen bank notes were later found near Sebha.
On Tuesday, thieves were thwarted in their attempt to steal LD 6 million from the Gumhouriya Bank’s branch in Tarhouna. [/restrict]
