That is what the Public Prosecution Service outlined today at the first preliminary session against the six suspects who were arrested after the robbery. The suspects are of French and Belgian origin. Two of the six appeared in court, the rest chose to remain in jail.
The police officers reported threats and attempted murder. Others, including residents of Broek in Waterland, have also made a report.
Shot multiple times
It was like a movie; the robbery on the valuable transport of Brinks and Schöne Edelmetaal in Amsterdam-Noord. The loot: precious metals, worth 14.5 million euros. Several shots were fired after the robbery. According to the Public Prosecution Service, this was aimed at the police, the suspects deny this.
Reporter Robin Hijfte was present at the hearing:
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The very violent robbery appears to have been organized from abroad. According to the Public Prosecution Service, this was done ‘thoroughly and professionally’ and there was international cooperation.
The suspects left Paris in the period prior to the robbery and prepared themselves for their criminal mission in an apartment in Belgium. Weapons, balaclavas, extra getaway cars and other items were also delivered there.
The robbers threatened with firearms and a knife and fired into the air outside the building. They captivated employees of the company with tie wraps.
Officer looked straight down the barrel
The robbery resulted in a wild chase from Amsterdam to Broek in Waterland. The first police car to arrive at the scene “looked straight down the barrel of an automatic weapon belonging to one of the robbers,” the prosecutor said.
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One of the suspects shouted when he was arrested in Broek in Waterland, after he had been shot in the leg, that he was wearing a bomb belt and that he would blow himself up. An officer has rushed on the man, only to find that there was no bomb belt. The fact that the suspects could be arrested is due to ‘heroic police action’.
A 47-year-old robber was killed in the shooting with police.
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4 million not found
More than 4 million euros of the loot has not yet been recovered. That part was probably taken by the occupants of an Audi that was set on fire after the robbery near Diemen. They have escaped. Justice is still fully investigating this, in collaboration with the French and Belgian authorities.
The next preparatory session is on 15 November.
Eyewitness went into closet
The violent robbery made a big impression on eyewitnesses. Reina Beets ducked into a closet when the robbers drove into her garden:
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