Swiss cash truck heist suspects arrested in France
Remnant of the money transport vehicle that was robbed and then set on fire.
Keystone / Laurent Gillieron
Five people have been arrested in France accused of robbing a Swiss cash truck carrying cash and valuables worth around CHF20 million ($21.8 million) in 2019.
After several months of investigation, French and Swiss police apprehended the five French nationals in Lyon and Annemasse, near Geneva, according to a statement released by Vaud cantonal police on Tuesday. Operations are still underway in France and Switzerland, the statement added.
The suspects – aged 31 to 42 years – are accused of having participated in the spectacular robbery of a Swiss Post van at Daillens, north of Lausanne, on December 2, 2019. At around 7.40pm, the vehicle was stopped by two vehicles and the couriers were forced out at gunpoint. The perpetrators managed to open the doors of the van using explosives and seized the cargo. They then set fire to three vehicles before fleeing the scene. No one was injured during the attack.
The thieves fled with money, watches, gold bars and precious stones worth a total of CHF20 million, Jean-Christophe Sauterel, spokesman for the Vaud cantonal police, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The attack was one in a series of night-time robberies of cash delivery vehicles in canton Vaud in western Switzerland. There have been 11 such attacks since 2006, several of which have been violent, with the assailants shooting at and beating up the van drivers in some cases.
More people switching to generic medicine in Switzerland
This content was published on
Measures to encourage more people in Switzerland to use generic medicine in place of brand name originals appear to be working.
Nature magazine: scientific breakthroughs in medicine and space travel in 2025
This content was published on
The science magazine Nature expects breakthroughs in mind-reading machines, new weight-loss drugs, and particle physics in 2025.
This content was published on
Swiss minister Karin Keller-Sutter wants to use Platform X to communicate with the population during her term as president in 2025.
Swiss Post delivers record number of parcels in pre-Christmas period
This content was published on
Swiss Post delivered a total of 22.3 million parcels between the Black Friday promotional week at the end of November and Christmas.
SWISS plane in Graz: employee still in intensive care
This content was published on
The cabin crew member of the SWISS Airbus A220 which made an emergency landing in Graz, Austria, on Monday is still in intensive care.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Why is Switzerland a target for cash truck heists?
This content was published on
Western Switzerland has seen nearly a dozen violent money truck heists since 2006, and three since the beginning of this year.
Thieves rob Swiss money van in ‘Fast and Furious’ style heist
This content was published on
The cash delivery van operated by a private company was attacked on Thursday morning a little after midnight. It was hit by two delivery vehicles stolen by the thieves and the two occupants were threatened with a Kalashnikov. After taking the money, the robbers then set fire to the van, the two stolen delivery vehicles…
Mastermind behind Swiss plane diamond heist to face trial
This content was published on
France has handed over to Belgium the alleged brains behind the theft of diamonds from a Helvetic Airways plane in Brussels in 2013.
This content was published on
The criminal court in Renens sentenced a 45 year-old Serbian woman today to ten years imprisonment for her involvement in four jewellery heists between 2009 and 2011.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.