Ten charged with spectacular Stockholm heist

A Swedish court said Monday 10 men have been charged in connection with a dramatic helicopter raid on a cash storage depot south of Stockholm last September.


The suspects allegedly made off with over 39 million kronor (4.0 million euros, 5.3 million dollars) after storming the banknote storage facility, which they broke into after being dropped from a helicopter. Only a small fraction of the amount, about 100,000 kronor (10,400, 13,600 dollars), has been recovered. The Södertörn district court named the 10 men in a statement and said they were charged "around the aggravated theft of (cash depot) G4S in Vaestberga on September 23, 2009."


According to Swedishwire.Com, prosecutor Leif Görts told Swedish public radio five men were charged with aggravated theft and the five others were charged with assisting the robbery. Three masked, armed men were dropped onto the roof of the banknote storage facility by a helicopter in the early hours of last September 23.


The men then smashed a window and blasted their way through the building using explosives before exiting the building several minutes later with sacks of cash. The robbers carried out the raid in front of police and 21 workers present in the centre.


The police were hindered because a bag marked with the word "bomb" had been previously placed at the police helicopter base. The thieves' helicopter, which was stolen shortly before the raid, was recovered undamaged several hours later north of Stockholm.