Iran executes leader of Sunni rebel group

June 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Iran hanged the convicted leader of a Sunni Muslim rebel group on Sunday for his involvement in deadly attacks in the Islamic state, state television reported.

World

Predominantly Shi’ite Muslim Iran arrested Abdolmalek Rigi in February, four months after his Jundollah (God’s soldiers) group claimed a bombing which killed dozens of people, including senior officers of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

“Abdolmalek Rigi was hanged at dawn today…he was convicted for many crimes like being behind many deadly attacks…and killing dozens of innocent people,” state television said.

Iran grapples with ethnic and religious tension in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan where authorities have responded to attacks by Sunni rebels with a spate of hangings. Rights groups and the West have condemned the hangings.

A Tehran Revolutionary court sentenced Rigi to death and the Supreme Court upheld the sentence, the semi-official Fars news agency said, adding that Rigi was executed inside Tehran’s Evin prison in the presence of “the families of some of the victims.”

“Abdolmalek Rigi’s charges also included armed robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking and the formation and leading of the terrorist Jundollah group,” Fars reported.

Iran says the Sunni group has links to Sunni Islamist al Qaeda and accuses Pakistan, Britain and the United States of backing Jundollah to create instability in southeast Iran, where many Sunni minority live. The three countries deny the claim.

“Jundollah was linked to members of foreign intelligence services, including members from America and the Zionist regime’s (Israel) intelligence services under the cover of NATO,” the official IRNA news agency quoted a court statement as saying.

“DISGRACEFUL STIGMA”

Iran is at odds with the West over its nuclear programme, which it insists is aimed at generating power and not building bombs as the U.S., its European allies and Israel suspect.

“The hanging showed Iran will not let its territory to be used by criminals…With the execution of Abdolmalek, the disgraceful stigma of our tribe was eliminated,” Bashir Ahmad Rigi, the chief of Rigi’s tribe, was quoted by IRNA as saying.

A leading lawmaker said Iran planned to file a lawsuit at relevant international courts against Britain and the United states for supporting Rigi.

“Based on Rigi’s confessions, America and Britain were backing terrorist acts committed by him in Iran,” said lawmaker Parviz Sorouri, the ILNA news agency reported.

Sistan-Baluchestan is a poor area near Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bombings and clashes between security forces, ethnic Baluch Sunni insurgents and drug traffickers have increased in recent years.

Iranian leaders reject claims by Western human rights groups that the Islamic Republic discriminates against ethnic and religious minorities.

Ethnic Baluch, many with tribal links to their restive kin in neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan, make up an estimated one to three percent of Iran’s 70 million population.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Diana Abdallah)

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Iran executes leader of Sunni rebel group – TV

June 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

TEHRAN, June 20 (Reuters) – Iran hanged the convicted leader of a Sunni Muslim rebel group on Sunday for his involvement in deadly attacks in the Islamic state, state television reported.

Predominantly Shi’ite Muslim Iran arrested Abdolmalek Rigi in February, four months after his Jundollah (God’s soldiers) group claimed a bombing which killed dozens of people, including senior officers of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

“Abdolmalek Rigi was hanged at dawn today…he was convicted for many crimes like being behind many deadly attacks…and killing dozens of innocent people,” state television said.

Iran grapples with ethnic and religious tension in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan where authorities have responded to attacks by Sunni rebels with a spate of hangings. Rights groups and the West have condemned the hangings.

A Tehran Revolutionary court sentenced Rigi to death and the Supreme Court upheld the sentence, the semi-official Fars news agency said, adding that Rigi was executed inside Tehran’s Evin prison in the presence of “the families of some of the victims”.

“Abdolmalek Rigi’s charges also included armed robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking and the formation and leading of the terrorist Jundollah group,” Fars reported.

Iran says the Sunni group has links to Sunni Islamist al Qaeda and accuses Pakistan, Britain and the United States of backing Jundollah to create instability in southeast Iran, where many Sunni minority live. The three countries deny the claim.

“Jundollah was linked to members of foreign intelligence services, including members from America and the Zionist regime’s (Israel) intelligence services under the cover of NATO,” the official IRNA news agency quoted a court statement as saying.

“DISGRACEFUL STIGMA”

Iran is at odds with the West over its nuclear programme, which it insists is aimed at generating power and not building bombs as the U.S., its European allies and Israel suspect.

“The hanging showed Iran will not let its territory to be used by criminals…With the execution of Abdolmalek, the disgraceful stigma of our tribe was eliminated,” Bashir Ahmad Rigi, the chief of Rigi’s tribe, was quoted by IRNA as saying.

A leading lawmaker said Iran planned to file a lawsuit at relevant international courts against Britain and the United states for supporting Rigi.

“Based on Rigi’s confessions, America and Britain were backing terrorist acts committed by him in Iran,” said lawmaker Parviz Sorouri, the ILNA news agency reported.

Sistan-Baluchestan is a poor area near Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bombings and clashes between security forces, ethnic Baluch Sunni insurgents and drug traffickers have increased in recent years.

Iranian leaders reject claims by Western human rights groups that the Islamic Republic discriminates against ethnic and religious minorities.

Ethnic Baluch, many with tribal links to their restive kin in neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan, make up an estimated one to three percent of Iran’s 70 million population.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Diana Abdallah)

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Factbox: Jundollah, Iran’s Sunni Muslim rebels

June 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Iran said Sunday it had executed Abdolmalek Rigi, leader of a Sunni Muslim rebel group which the Shi’ite-dominated country says was behind Iran’s deadliest bomb attack.

World

Rigi, arrested in February, was convicted by a Revolutionary court of various charges, including armed robbery, kidnapping, drug smuggling, assassination attempts and murder.

Here are some key details about Jundollah:

LINKS:

* Iran, which is predominantly Shi’ite, has linked Jundollah (God’s Soldiers) to the Sunni Islamist al Qaeda network. It also accuses the United States, Britain and Pakistan of backing Jundollah in order to create instability in the country. The three countries deny the charge.

* Jundollah says it is fighting for the rights of Iran’s minority Sunnis. Iran reject allegations by rights groups that it discriminates against ethnic and religious minorities.

ALLIANCES:

* Rigi said in a 2007 interview that his group was fighting for the rights of the Baluch people facing what he called “genocide” in Iran, but denied it promoted any separatist or radical sectarian agenda.

* Jundollah has evolved through shifting alliances with various parties, including the Taliban and Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service, who saw the group as a tool against Iran, according to Lahore-based Pakistani analyst Ahmed Rashid.

ORIGINS:

* Jundollah, which also calls itself the Iranian People’s Resistance Movement, was founded in 2002 and launched its armed campaign in 2005.

* Since early 2005 the group has sought to expand operations in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. It has carried out kidnappings and, more recently, suicide attacks.

* The group probably numbers fewer than 100 militants armed with explosives and small arms in Sistan-Baluchestan which borders both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

* Leader Rigi had vowed to fight the Shi’ite government in Iran unless economic conditions improve in the province.

* Rigi was arrested in February 2010. Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said Rigi had been in a U.S. military base 24 hours before his arrest, state-run Press TV reported.

* ATTACKS:

* In June 2005, Jundollah kidnapped Revolutionary Guard officer Shahab Mansuri and sent a video of him to al-Arabiya. He was killed on July 13 and Iran blamed Jundollah.

* On December 14, 2005, an assassination attempt was carried out against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while on a visit to Sistan- Baluchestan. This attack also was blamed on Jundollah.

* In 2007, Jundollah claimed responsibility for several attacks. On February 14, 11 members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards were killed in an attack on a bus in the city of Zahedan.

* In December 2008 there was a suicide attack in Saravan on a security forces headquarters. This was the first such suicide attack in Iran and was carried out by Abdul-Ghafoor Rigi, a brother of the group’s leader.

* On May 28, 2009, a suicide bomber killed 25 people and wounded more than 120 in an attack on a mosque in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan. Jundollah claimed responsibility for the attack.

* An October 18, 2009 bombing by the group killed 40 people. Fifteen Revolutionary Guards members were among those killed, including the deputy head of ground forces. Jundollah said it was behind the deadliest attack in Iran since the 1980s.

EXECUTIONS:

* On May 30 three men were hanged in public for involvement in the Zahedan bombing. Two more were hanged on June 2. Iran executed 15 more men accused of membership of Jundollah in July.

* On November 3, Iran executed Jundollah member Abdolhamid Rigi.

* The leader’s brother, also called Abdolhamid, was hanged in May.

Sources: Reuters/Janes World Insurgency and Terrorism

(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by Michael Roddy)

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FACTBOX-Jundollah, Iran’s Sunni Muslim rebels

June 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Iran said on Sunday it had executed Abdolmalek Rigi, leader of a Sunni Muslim rebel group which the Shi’ite-dominated country says was behind Iran’s deadliest bomb attack.

Rigi, arrested in February, was convicted by a Revolutionary court of various charges, including armed robbery, kidnapping, drug smuggling, assassination attempts and murder.

Here are some key details about Jundollah:

LINKS:

* Iran, which is predominantly Shi’ite, has linked Jundollah (God’s Soldiers) to the Sunni Islamist al Qaeda network. It also accuses the United States, Britain and Pakistan of backing Jundollah in order to create instability in the country. The three countries deny the charge.

* Jundollah says it is fighting for the rights of Iran’s minority Sunnis. Iran reject allegations by rights groups that it discriminates against ethnic and religious minorities.

ALLIANCES:

* Rigi said in a 2007 interview that his group was fighting for the rights of the Baluch people facing what he called “genocide” in Iran, but denied it promoted any separatist or radical sectarian agenda.

* Jundollah has evolved through shifting alliances with various parties, including the Taliban and Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service, who saw the group as a tool against Iran, according to Lahore-based Pakistani analyst Ahmed Rashid.

ORIGINS:

* Jundollah, which also calls itself the Iranian People’s Resistance Movement, was founded in 2002 and launched its armed campaign in 2005.

* Since early 2005 the group has sought to expand operations in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. It has carried out kidnappings and, more recently, suicide attacks.

* The group probably numbers fewer than 100 militants armed with explosives and small arms in Sistan-Baluchestan which borders both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

* Leader Rigi had vowed to fight the Shi’ite government in Iran unless economic conditions improve in the province.

* Rigi was arrested in February 2010. Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said Rigi had been in a U.S. military base 24 hours before his arrest, state-run Press TV reported.

* ATTACKS:

* In June 2005, Jundollah kidnapped Revolutionary Guard officer Shahab Mansuri and sent a video of him to al-Arabiya. He was killed on July 13 and Iran blamed Jundollah.

* On Dec. 14, 2005, an assassination attempt was carried out against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while on a visit to Sistan- Baluchestan. This attack also was blamed on Jundollah.

* In 2007, Jundollah claimed responsibility for several attacks. On Feb. 14, 11 members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards were killed in an attack on a bus in the city of Zahedan.

* In Dec. 2008 there was a suicide attack in Saravan on a security forces headquarters. This was the first such suicide attack in Iran and was carried out by Abdul-Ghafoor Rigi, a brother of the group’s leader.

* On May 28, 2009, a suicide bomber killed 25 people and wounded more than 120 in an attack on a mosque in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan. Jundollah claimed responsibility for the attack.

* An Oct. 18, 2009 bombing by the group killed 40 people. Fifteen Revolutionary Guards members were among those killed, including the deputy head of ground forces. Jundollah said it was behind the deadliest attack in Iran since the 1980s.

EXECUTIONS:

* On May 30 three men were hanged in public for involvement in the Zahedan bombing. Two more were hanged on June 2. Iran executed 15 more men accused of membership of Jundollah in July.

* On Nov. 3, Iran executed Jundollah member Abdolhamid Rigi.

* The leader’s brother, also called Abdolhamid, was hanged in May.

(For a main story on Rigi’s execution click on [ID:nHAF017863])

Sources: Reuters/Janes World Insurgency and Terrorism

(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by Michael Roddy)

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Chinese robbed, arrests made in separate robbery

June 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Chinese journalists in South Africa for the World Cup had items stolen from their car by gunmen when they were traveling in daylight hours through Johannesburg, an embassy official said on Thursday.

Sports

The incident follows the armed robbery of Spanish and Portuguese journalists at a lodge north of Johannesburg on Wednesday and stoked security concerns in the crime-plagued country just ahead of the opening match on Friday.

FIFA said on Thursday that three arrests had been made in connection with the robbery involving the Spanish and Portuguese and that all property taken had been recovered.

“We know that the police are taking care of the situation. They have arrested three people. They have handed back to the people their valuables including cash,” FIFA spokesman Wolfgang Eichler said. He added that the hotel was not FIFA-approved.

An embassy official could provide few other details of the incident involving the Chinese that also took place on Wednesday.

The three Chinese journalists has been in the country for a few hours and were on their way to the main venue for the Cup in Soweto, the local paper Beeld reported citing various sources.

They stopped on the side of the road when gunmen approached and stole equipment from their vehicle, it said.

South Africa police could not confirm the robbery and were looking into the case.

Meanwhile, a larger police presence in the town which is the Portugal squad base and where robbers held a World Cup photographer at gunpoint on Wednesday has settled some nerves, but traveling journalists are still angry at FIFA’s handling of the matter.

ARMED ROBBERS

The incident, in which armed robbers raided the Nutbush Boma Lodge, where 20 Portuguese and Spanish journalists are lodged, has raised concerns about security in the host nation but FIFA played down the incident in Magaliesburg on Wednesday, saying its main concern was traffic chaos.

“It’s just ridiculous, a total lack of respect for people who have come here to work, to show this country to the whole world,” Antonio Simoes, the photographer whom robbers held at gunpoint and stole his camera, cash and credit cards, told Reuters.

The small town about an hour’s drive from Johannesburg had welcomed the Portugal squad with enthusiasm, with around 2,000 fans attending the first training session on Sunday, but the incident has marred the mood, forcing police to increase their presence and leaving journalists anxious.

The raided hotel now has several police officers patrolling the grounds around the clock and almost all the other hotels have police or private security protecting journalists.”

“There was fear right after the incident, everyone was very shook up by what happened to Antonio Simoes but the police reaction has been good, putting guards at the gates, which has helped,” Paulo Guerrinha, a reporter for the Portuguese internet portal Sapo, told Reuters.

Guerrinha was less impressed, however, with the organizing committee’s reaction.

“This has been received really badly here by the journalists. A situation like this cannot be devalued like it has been,” he said.

“FIFA saying it was more concerned with traffic than someone being attacked in a hotel room with a gun to their head does not dignify the institution and the organization in any way,” he added.

South Africa has been hoping the World Cup would add a boost to its tourism sector and provide a jolt of pride for the continent but experts have said persistent reports of crime could undermine those aspirations.

Separately, several photographers covering the World Cup have also reported equipment being stolen from their baggage upon arrival at O.R. Tambo Airport, the main gateway to Johannesburg.

(Additional reporting by Xola Potelwa and Agnieska Flak; Editing by Jon Bramley)

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Gunmen kill 14 in Baghdad gold heist – police

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Gunmen swooped on a row of Baghdad goldsmiths on Tuesday, killing fourteen people and making off with gold and cash in a brazen daylight robbery, an Interior Ministry source said.

Police said at least ten gunmen armed with pistols, bombs and Kalashnikov assault rifles attacked five goldsmiths and a money exchange on a bustling shopping street in the Bayaa district of southwest Baghdad.

One attacker was killed in a shootout with police when they tried to escape in civilian vehicles, the Baghdad security spokesman said. He said seven goldsmiths were killed, but the Interior Ministry source said the death toll was 14.

There is usually a heavy Iraqi security presence in the area.

The spokesman, Major-General Qassim al-Moussawi, blamed Sunni insurgents linked to al Qaeda, saying they were in search of money to finance operations.

“It’s a terrorist incident linked to the crimes conducted by al Qaeda to gain financing through armed robbery and stealing,” he said.

He said some of the gunmen used silencers, killing the goldsmiths and stripping the stores of gold and cash.

On May 10 in Baghdad, gunmen equipped with silencers killed at least seven Iraqi soldiers and policemen in attacks on six checkpoints in the capital, part of a wave attacks that day that left more than 100 people dead.

The interior ministry source said the attackers also set bombs, a number of which police managed to defuse.

A Reuters witness near the scene said: “I heard an explosion and then I saw four dead bodies on the ground close to the gold shops.”

Overall violence in Iraq has dropped sharply since the sectarian slaughter of 2006-07 but bombings and shootings are still a regular occurrence.

Civilians fled shops and apartments near the scene of the robbery, and police sealed off the area in force to conduct a search operation. Moussawi said two gunmen were arrested. The Interior Ministry source said four police officers were wounded.

An Iraqi politician elected to parliament for the cross-sectarian Iraqiya alliance was gunned down outside his home in the restive northern city of Mosul late on Monday, further fuelling tensions after the inconclusive March 7 election.

(Additional reporting by Waleed Ibrahim and Aseel Kami; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Dominic Evans)

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Six convicted drug traffickers hanged in Iran

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Tehran, May 8 (DPA) Six convicted drug traffickers were executed Saturday in Iran, official news agency IRNA reported.

The six were hanged in a prison in the city of Karaj, west of the capital Tehran, after their initial death verdicts were confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking of quantities in excess of five kilograms are among crimes punishable by death in Iran.

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Iran hangs six drug traffickers – media

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Iran hanged six convicted drug traffickers in a prison west of Tehran on Saturday, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.

Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and apostasy are all punishable by death under Iranian Sharia law practised since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Amnesty International says Iran had the second highest number of executions in 2009 after China, adding that about a third of its 388 executions took place in eight weeks of turmoil following a disputed June presidential election.

Those put to death on Saturday in the city of Karaj were sentenced for carrying and trafficking drugs including heroin and opium, Fars reported, citing the judiciary.

One of the men, Abbas Gravand, was found guilty of possessing 386 grams of heroin. Another, Saeed Mikaeli, was sentenced for possessing and selling 422 grams of crack.

Iran is a key transit route for narcotics smuggled from neighbouring Afghanistan, which produces more than 90 percent of the world’s supply of opium, to the West and elsewhere. Opium is used to make heroin.

Last year, Iran’s police chief, Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, said about 130,000 people in the country of 70 million become addicted to drugs each year.

The Iranian judiciary is stepping up its fight against the drugs trade but a large part of the “narcotics mafia” is based outside the country, he added.

In March, Iranian media said five men convicted of various crimes including drug smuggling and rape were put to death in the southeastern province of Kerman.

Iran’s human rights record is often criticized by the West. Tehran rejects claims it is violating human rights and accuses the West of double standards and hypocrisy.

(Writing by Fredrik Dahl; editing by )

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Pair sought over Findon armed robbery

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Adelaide police are looking for two men and weapons they used for a break-in and car theft at Findon.

Police say three men with a firearm and a hammer confronted a man at his house in Elizabeth Street at about 4:20am and forced him to hand over car keys.

The car was chased by police at Flinders Park and later found dumped at Ovingham.

A man, 24, from Rosewater was arrested and is alleged to have breached bail.

Police hope to track down the other two offenders and are keen for any help from the public.

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Jail for star picket attack

April 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A 20 year old Perth man has been sentenced to four years jail for a robbery in which the victim was hit across the face with a star picket.

Andrew Peter Schultz and a 16 year old boy attacked a 39 year old man at a service station in Burswood in August last year.

Schultz hit the man with a star picket, the boy took his keys and the two then stole his car.

The victim suffered four broken bones in his face and needed metal plates inserted.

Schultz pleaded guilty to charges of armed robbery and causing grievous bodily harm.

The Supreme Court was told he had no memory of the robbery because he was affected by alcohol and drugs.

Schultz was given another year on top of his sentence because the attack breached a suspended jail term he had received for offences including assault and stealing a car.

He will have to serve three years before he can be released.

Schultz was made eligible for parole.

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Accused armed robber in court

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A 28-year-old man will appear in the Supreme Court in Perth later this month accused over a series of armed robberies.

Kamm Luke Levi Tomasovich and his 36-year-old girlfriend Lisa Marie Read allegedly used a toy revolver to hold up a bank, discount store and pharmacy in Bunbury.

Mr Tomasovich appeared in the Bunbury Magistrate’s Court today charged with three counts of armed robbery, three counts of attempted armed robbery and breaching his bail.

Some of the robbery charges relate to incidents in Perth and Mandurah earlier this year.

Ms Read has been charged with being an accessory to the robberies.

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Pizza shop robber caught by off-duty officer

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

An off-duty police officer has foiled an armed robbery at a fast food shop at Engadine in Sydney’s south yesterday.

Police say the off-duty sergeant was waiting to pick up a pizza when a woman burst into the store wearing a balaclava and carrying a knife at about 8pm.

The woman yelled at staff to hand over cash, but the officer grabbed her from behind, confiscated the knife and forced her to the ground.

The 52-year-old policeman then restrained the woman till other officers arrived.

The 23-year-old woman was arrested and will appear at Sutherland local court today on a string of charges.

Meanwhile, police are looking for four armed robbers who held up a pizza shop at Chester Hill last night.

Police say three of the men bailed up the store’s manager and delivery driver just after 10:00pm and threatened them with a knife.

The manager gave the thieves the takings from the till and the three men ran away with a fourth man, who had been keeping watch outside.

The Dog Squad was called in, but police were unable to find the men.

Detectives are calling for witnesses who saw anything suspicious in the area before or after the robbery to come forward.

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Toy gun used in string of robberies

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police have revealed a gun used in a series of attempted armed robberies in Bunbury yesterday was a toy.

Police allege a 28-year-old man and his 36-year-old girlfriend bought a toy revolver from a toy store in Victoria Street yesterday morning and used it to threaten tellers and shop assistants at a bank and discount store.

They then allegedly held up a pharmacy in South Bunbury, escaping with an amount of cash.

They were arrested at a local caravan park a short time later.

The pair are alleged to have also been involved in three previous robberies in Perth and Mandurah.

Detective Sergeant Darren Clifton says the man has been charged with three counts of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery.

He says the woman has been charged with being an accessory after the fact.

“Three very serious armed robberies committed in the Bunbury area in the space of a few hours which terrified quite a number of female employees at various premises.”

The pair will appear in Bunbury Magistrates Court today.

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Armed robbery charges pending

April 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Detectives say they expect to charge two people who were arrested after several armed hold ups in the WA south west city of Bunbury.

The 28-year-old man and 30-year-old woman allegedly used a hand gun to hold up a bank and a discount store on Stevens Street about 10:00 this morning.

Police say they then held up a pharmacy at South Bunbury about two hours later.

It is believed the pair was dropped off by a taxi at the Bunbury Glade caravan park where they were arrested.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kylie Whiteley, says the bank tellers and shop assistants involved, are extremely upset.

“It’s not something that they expect to see when they go to work, they’re very distressed,” she said.

“They are able to help us with further information so they’re doing quite well all things considered.”

A Salvation Army worker Marion Myles says the two people taken into custody had asked for help from the charity this morning.

“They came here looking for welfare, emergency relief, and food vouchers,” she said.

“As soon as I asked for their paperwork, he took off, he just ran, he pushed her out the door and off they went.

“They seemed agitated.”

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Gunman holds up Berkeley Hotel

April 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police are appealing for information regarding an armed robbery in Berkeley, south of Wollongong, yesterday morning.

Staff at the Berkeley Hotel were emptying the till at 3:00am (AEST) yesterday when a man armed with a handgun smashed through the rear door window.

The three staff members locked themselves in the office before the assailant kicked in the door, forced the manager to the floor and demanded money be placed into a backpack.

The man then fled the scene in what police know only as a white vehicle.

He is said to be 170cm tall and was wearing a black jacket, blue sweatpants and a balaclava at the time of the robbery.

Police are asking for anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers or Lake Illawarra police.

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Gunman holds up Berkeley Hotel

April 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police are appealing for information regarding an armed robbery in Berkeley, south of Wollongong, yesterday morning.

Staff at the Berkeley Hotel were emptying the till at 3:00am (AEST) yesterday when a man armed with a handgun smashed through the rear door window.

The three staff members locked themselves in the office before the assailant kicked in the door, forced the manager to the floor and demanded money be placed into a backpack.

The man then fled the scene in what police know only as a white vehicle.

He is said to be 170cm tall and was wearing a black jacket, blue sweatpants and a balaclava at the time of the robbery.

Police are asking for anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers or Lake Illawarra police.

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Police hunt armed home invaders

April 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A man was hurt during a home invasion in Albury last night.

Police say two men forced their way into the man’s Eastern Circuit home at 6:45pm (AEST).

Police say the men covered their faces, produced a knife and demanded money from the 42-year-old victim, before a struggle took place.

The men then fled towards Alexandra Street with cash.

The victim was taken to the Albury Base Hospital with a minor head injury.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.

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Teen jailed over taxi terror

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A knife-wielding teenager who tried to rob a Hobart taxi driver of his cab and then stole another car has avoided jail.

Luke Ryan Douglas has received a six month suspended prison sentence.

The Supreme Court in Hobart heard Douglas booked the taxi then tried to steal it when it arrived at his Blackmans Bay home last December.

The 19 year old produced a knife and told the driver to get out of his cab, then jumped on the roof and started stabbing the windscreen.

The court heard the driver managed to get away but in doing so crashed his taxi, causing significant damage.

Douglas then flagged down a passing car, pointed a knife at the occupants and fled in their vehicle.

He pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery, assault and armed robbery.

The court heard Douglas suffered from depression and was drinking bourbon and sniffing petrol in the lead up to his crimes.

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Thief armed with broken bottle

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police are on the lookout for a man who held up a store at Albion Park.

Inspector Steve Johnson for the Lake Illawarra command says the man entered the mixed business on Terry Street at 5:15pm (AEDT) yesterday and demanded money.

“At the time he was armed with a broken glass bottle and has demanded money from the attendant at the store, now a sum of money has been handed to the offender who has decamped from the location,” he said.

He is described as being in his early 20s, of slim build and about 160 centimetres tall.

He was wearing a black jacket with white stripes on the sleeve, dark coloured pants and a black bicycle helmet.

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Police hunt after takeaway armed robbery

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Tasmanian police are searching for two men who robbed a Launceston takeaway.

Police say the men were wearing white hooded tops when they entered the Thistle Street takeaway about 2:30am.

The male staff member said he was threatened with what appeared to be firearms.

The men stole cash and cigarettes.

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