Belfast Bank Heist - IRA?

[Marky Mark]

I'm interested in what you 'blokes across the pond' :D think about the robbery in Belfast? It seems like it was well organinzed and executed, a very complicated plot for a just random gang of thugs. The haul works out to about $2mil U.S. for each operative, if they split it evenly. Should it turn out to be IRA, anyone wanna bet at least some of them will turn up in Boston?

[Sgt Lobster]

I'd be very surprised if the robbery hasn't been carried out by a para-military gang, and the various variants of the IRA are not adverse to a spot of bank robbery.

The ITN news has now stated the Northern Bank was robbed of over

[1sgkelly]

Or some retired SAS.

Everybody's got to have a hobby.
;)

[Strummer]

You can bet your bottom dollar it was the IRA. So much for the Good Friday Agreement. I wonder is this the final fling to line their pockets or their war-chest before their half-hearted attempts at "decommissioning"? Perhaps it was a "side-job" undertaken by some IRA men who are not fully committed to their Marxist beliefs?

Lot of cash, hope they have fun with it on earth because one thing is for sure...they'll all rot in hell.

Later.

[Sgt Lobster]

Let us not forget that organised crime is the stock in trade of all the para-military gangs in Ireland.

Lobster.

[Ex-plod]

Only slight hitch in their plans is the fact that most if not all the cash is Northern Ireland currency which is very hard to spend in any kind of volume especially over here on the Mainland or abroad.:rolleyes:

[Sgt Lobster]

Ex-plod,

Very true about the Northern Irish notes just try spending one of those rascals on the Mainland:D

[1sgkelly]

"You can bet your bottom dollar it was the IRA."

What, the prods are saints?

:confused:

[Strummer]

Originally posted by 1sgkelly
What, the prods are saints? :confused:

Nope. They've got their share of asshats too. But they don't have the sophistication to pull off a job like that.

Of course, call me a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn't put it passed the whole bunch of them to team up to pull off a big score like that. Despite all their political/religious/republican/loyalist posturing, they're all a pack of vicious crooks at the the end of the day.

Someone should ask Gerry Adams who did it. I'm sure he knows.

Later.

[JohnKelly]

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said the possible involvement of Paramilitaries is a "Key line of inquiry"

The IRA is not the only paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4128939.stm

[JohnKelly]

Well, it certainly looks like the IRA is the prime suspect.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4154657.stm

[Ex-plod]

This ia a common problem of politics getting in the way of policing and crime solving and you can see it here with peoples responces to suggestions as to who was too blame.
Anyway, they are swapping all the banks notes soon so it will have largely been a waste of time. They would have ben better off hitting the shippment of UK notes sent back to the Bank of England.

[Strummer]

Ex-Plod,

I really don't think any response here could be regarded as political. The IRA's involvement in "ordinary" crime is certainly no secret, and I suspect they would be the only organization in NI to have the capabilities to pull this one off.

If I had my way I'd line them all up against the wall and shoot them all dead....But I suppose that's why I am not in charge !!!!!

Later.

[JohnKelly]

SF angered by Taoiseach

[Ex-plod]

If Sinn Fein want to be the Political wing of the IRA then they have to expect some of the mud to stick when they stand so close. They were quite happy while the IRA murdered Police Officers, soldiers and civilains for years and now they want to appear all saintly.:mad:

[JohnKelly]

Three arrests over big Irish bank heist.

Detectives in Northern Ireland arrested three men in connection with the December robbery of the Northern Bank in which thieves stole 26.5 million pounds ($A63 million), authorities said.

In the first arrests in relation to the robbery - one of the world's largest heists - a 30-year-old man was arrested in Belfast, while two men were taken into custody in Kilcoo, Northern Ireland.

The men were named in Kilcoo's local media as Dominic McEvoy, a 23-year-old builder, and Peter Morgan, a 24-year-old plasterer and farm worker.

McEvoy and Morgan were arrested close to where a banker's family were held hostage by a gang ahead of the audacious record robbery.

Chief Constable Hugh Orde has accused the Irish Republican Army of stealing the money, but the outlawed organisation has denied involvement.

Sinn Fein, the IRA-linked political party, and the family of McEvoy protested against the arrests, claiming they were politically motivated.

Willie Clarke, a Sinn Fein member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, described the arrests as "heavy-handed policing" and claimed the men were arrested because their families have supported the IRA's cause.

A senior police official denied political motivation, saying that officers had acted on tip-offs.

"We are where we are in no small part due to the support and information provided openly and anonymously by the community," said acting detective chief superintendent Phil Aiken, who is heading the police investigation.

McEvoy's mother Irene Carlin denied her son was involved in the robbery, or any other illegal activity.

"We like a quiet life," Carlin said.

She also said she did not believe her son was aligned with the IRA.

"We are a republican family and we have our beliefs, but he wouldn't be as political as us. Absolutely not," Carlin said.

She said police had searched the home her son shared with herself, his stepfather and two younger sisters.

They seized computers, discs, a passport, credit cards, bank statements, phone records and pay slips.

The alleged involvement of the IRA in December's robbery served as a setback for Sinn Fein, the IRA-linked party that represents most of the province's Catholics, in negotiations over a power sharing agreement.

The Democratic Unionist Party, which represents most of the territory's British Protestant majority, refused to co-operate with Sinn Fein while the IRA was seen to be involved in violent crime.

Since the robbery, the IRA has declared that it has disarmed and scrapped its hidden weapons stockpiles.

Most of the money taken in the robbery has never been traced.

About nine million pounds ($A22 million) in cash found in the Republic of Ireland in February is believed to be proceeds of the robbery, while another 55,000 pounds - ($A130,745) - found in a police sports club was confirmed as having been taken in the raid.

Northern Ireland police said they believed that cash was planted in the club to discredit the investigation.

Source: Yahoo News-AAP

[Marky Mark]

Thanks for the update...I see that "we're Republicans" doesn't quite mean the same thing over there! ;) On that note, I recently saw the film "Millions" - thought it was just brilliant....