BELFAST & NORTHERN IRELAND: Richard English - Britain’s Biggest Heists TV - Heist: The Northern Bank Robbery - Odd Man Out 1947 -
Too many things point it having been the IRA. One is the manner of taking people hostage ... Second is the scale of the thing. Professor Richard English, author The History of the IRA
It was a brutal and audacious bank robbery using the maximum threat of violence and death. It sent shock waves around the world just days before Christmas in 2004 the theft of £26.5 took place from the headquarters of the Northern Bank in Belfast Northern Ireland. Britain’s Biggest Heists: The Northern Bank Robbery, 2011
Two employees and their families were abducted and held hostage by a criminal gang who threatened them with violence and death. ibid.
Following the raid the Northern Bank announced that it would take the drastic step to withdraw all its bank notes. ibid.
‘I’ve just actually went through an order of, of an abduction. I actually work in the Northern Bank cash centre. They used me to rob it. Thirty million.’ Heist: The Northern Bank Robbery, 911 call, BBC 2021
2004: It was the biggest bank robbery in British history. Two families held hostage. A crime that shook politics in Northern Ireland to its core. ibid. caption
Who robbed them? Did the IRA carry it out? If the IRA did carry it out, did Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams know about it? And they are at the heart of the Peace Process at this moment. ibid.
The Northern bank raid is among the biggest robberies of modern times, and yet so much of what happened is a mystery. ibid.
Internal bank CCTV captures the entire robbery unfolding. ibid.
6:28 p.m.: Chris returns to the bank for the real robbery to begin. ibid.
‘7 people have been arrested and more than two million pounds seized: a possible connection with the Northern Bank Robbery just before Christmas … ‘A major [IRA] laundering operation.’ ibid.
Two members of the IRA are arrested in Cork. ibid.
March 2008: Three years after the robbery Ted Cunningham faced ten charges of money laundering. ibid.
January 2007: Two years after the robbery cases against two suspects collapse. ibid.
They couldn’t get any convictions: which is extraordinary when you think about this: the scale of it, the political significance of it, and the resources that the police put into this, and the huge vested interest they had in getting a conviction. ibid.
This violence isn’t getting us anywhere. Odd Man Out 1947 starring James Mason & Robert Newton & Cyril Cusack & William Hartnell & Kathleen Ryan & F J McCormick & Fay Compton & Denis O'Dea et al, director Carol Reed, Johnny
As long as he lives he belongs to the organisation. ibid. geezer
BRISTOL: Inside Men TV -
They tell you not to panic. They tell you to stay calm. Not resist. Not put up a fight. Don’t engage them in conversation. Don’t speak unless spoken to. Be compliant and you will live to see another day. Inside Men I starring Steven MacIntosh (as John) & Ashley Walters (as Chris) & Warren Brown (as Marcus) & Kierston Wareing (as Gina) & Paul Popplewell (as Tom) & Nicola Walker (as Kirsty) et al, director James Kent, BBC 2012
Not even criminals want cash nowadays – online that’s where it’s at. ibid. John
No-one nicks that much cash any more. ibid. Marcus
What we want to do is make small regular withdrawals. ibid. Marcus
If you’re going to cross that line it has to be worth it. ibid. John
What if we took the lot? ibid. John
How much do you remember? How much do you retain? This is when the real work begins. This is when you have to be strong. This is when they think they know you. But they don’t. They can’t. Inside Men II
It’s thought an extremely large sum of money was taken. ibid. radio news
So far we have three men on the inside and no-one on the outside. ibid. John
Whatever scheme you’re running is doomed to fail, so no thank you. ibid. friend of Marcus
On a good night up to a hundred and fifty million. ibid. Marcus
How much did we get? ibid. Chris in hospital bed
The spending part – keeps me awake at night. Inside Men III, Marcus
I want out. ibid. Chris
The £172 million still missing. ibid. television news