Ethiopian police foil bank robbery in Addis Ababa

July 14, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopian police said Friday an armed robbery, attempted on a branch office of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in Twedros Adebabay Branch, in Arada, Addis Ababa, was foiled by police and local security guards.

Deputy police commissioner of Addis Ababa, Tesfaye Meresa, said at around 2 o’clock this afternoon four armed men entered the bank pretending as customers and shot and wounded a guard on duty and by threatening a bank teller attempted to run away with an unspecified amount of money, which they had robbed from the bank.

In a fire exchange between the police and some security personnel who were following them, one robber was killed and two others apprehended.

The police commissioner said police managed to return the unspecified amount of money that the robbers had planned to run away with.

He said police are in hot pursuit to find the fourth robber who had managed to escape for the time being.

It was learnt that the robbers had also wounded two police officers during the shoot out.

The four armed men had properly planned to execute the crime. The robbers had hired two motor cycles and carried various types of weapons for the robbery, Commissioner Tesfaye.

When the two robbers were apprehended two pistols, three knives, one pen knife, gloves, masks and two motor cycles were seized by police, the deputy police commissioner noted.

The deputy police commissioner lauded the societies help to apprehend the robbers and urged the society to continue collaborating with police.

(ST)