Kalashnikov robbers net 400,000 euros in bank raid

Police were scouring Thessaly and neighboring regions Thursday following Wednesday’s armed raid on a branch of National Bank in the small town of Velestino in Magnisia, which netted some 400,000 euros for the four perpetrators.

The robbers, who were disguised with wigs and sunglasses and armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles and other firearms, burst into the bank branch shortly before 2 p.m. on Wednesday and forced staff to open the main safe, filling their bags with cash before fleeing without causing any injuries. A burned vehicle found a few kilometers outside the town later in the day is believed to have been the getaway car.

Police sources indicated that the robbers might be members of anti-establishment organizations as their modus operandi resembles that used in raids that have been linked to urban guerrilla groups.