Two more helicopter heist suspects arrested

Two more men have been detained in connection with last month’s spectacular helicopter robbery of a cash depot in Västberga south of Stockholm.

• Helicopter heist hits global top ten list (5 Oct 09)
• Third helicopter suspect remanded into custody (1 Oct 09)
• Helicopter heist suspects – who they are (29 Sep 09)
• Helicopter robbery - how it happened (24 Sep 09)

The men are residents of Stockholm and were born in 1978 and 1979, respectively. They were arrested at different addresses in Stockholm on Wednesday morning.

“The men are suspected of aggravated robbery,” said prosecutor Björn Frithiof to the TT news agency.

He refused to comment further on the arrests.

A total of five men have either been detained or remanded into custody for their suspected involvement in the robbery of the G4S cash depot.

Unlike the other three men who are already in custody on suspicion of being accomplices, the two men arrested on Wednesday are suspected of aggravated robbery, indicating they likely had a more direct role in the heist.

“The two men were arrested without incident this morning in a planned operation. They are suspected of participating in this major robbery. Due to the continuing investigation, I don’t want to go in to the basis for our suspicions,” prosecutor Leif Görtz told TT.

He added that police have cast a wide net in the investigation, which they expect will drag on for some time.

“We’re working long-term and patiently,” he said.

The robbery of the G4S facility took place shortly after 5am on September 23rd. A helicopter which was stolen earlier from a heliport in Norrtälje, north of Stockholm, dropped the robbers on the roof of the cash depot.

At least two armed men entered the building by smashing through a skylight. They then blew up several doors inside the depot, allowing them to access an area where a large amount of cash was being stored.

The robbers then hoisted the loot and themselves back up into the waiting helicopter, which then flew off over Stockholm.

Police who arrived on the scene were helpless, and a nearby police helicopter was grounded due to a bomb scare, aiding the robbers’ getaway.

Hours later, the helicopter used in the heist was found abandoned in a field in Arninge north of Stockholm.

Four days later, police arrested six men for suspected involvement in the daring robbery. Three were later released, while the remaining three were remanded into custody.