Swiss flight "robbed" on the apron in Brussels
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Yes, multiple times like I said before:
1982, 1995 (value 1,8 million EUR), 1999 (again value 1.8 million EUR), 2000 (value 6,25 million EUR), 2001, 2005 and now 2013 though they didn't all include diamonds. Brinks was involved before.
However the largest robbery of diamonds happened in the Antwerp Diamond Center back in 2003 when officially a minimum of 100 million EUR in diamonds where taken. Unofficially the number was much higher. The diamonds were never to be found.
Apparently the BRU heist of yesterday has the dark honor to be the largest heist with an aircraft involved.
1982, 1995 (value 1,8 million EUR), 1999 (again value 1.8 million EUR), 2000 (value 6,25 million EUR), 2001, 2005 and now 2013 though they didn't all include diamonds. Brinks was involved before.
However the largest robbery of diamonds happened in the Antwerp Diamond Center back in 2003 when officially a minimum of 100 million EUR in diamonds where taken. Unofficially the number was much higher. The diamonds were never to be found.
Apparently the BRU heist of yesterday has the dark honor to be the largest heist with an aircraft involved.
Last edited by Bralo20; 19th Feb 2013 at 15:44.
What I am curious about is who will buy the uncut diamonds and where will they be cut?
I really like this quote from the Airport security manager "We abide by the most stringent rules, he said"...
Last edited by atakacs; 19th Feb 2013 at 15:52.
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INSPIRATION FOR THE NEXT 9/11?
Following the Glasgow burning Jeep incident a few years ago, I was impressed by the bollards, diversions and moving of the traffic lines away from terminals to protect those assets.
Well done Transec and all the other bodies allegedly working to keep us safe!!
Alas, the miles of chainlink fence, occasionally out of view to either Tower or some CCTV cameras remains just that.
So all our wild-eyed hairy-faced fundamentalist friends need to do is to repeat the Glasgow manoeuvre but this time take the Jeep full of burning gas canisters, or the cut-price version could use concrete blocks, and charge into the path of the "Heavy" nearing V1 on the runway via pre-cut (at night) fence and make the headlines big time.
What's Transec and DfT doing to address this? Oh yes, I forgot, my 200mls of sun-tan lotion will be confiscated by the jobsworths along with all the other window-dressing measures called Aviation Security.
C'mon Transec/DfT, let's have some positive response for a change???
Well done Transec and all the other bodies allegedly working to keep us safe!!
Alas, the miles of chainlink fence, occasionally out of view to either Tower or some CCTV cameras remains just that.
So all our wild-eyed hairy-faced fundamentalist friends need to do is to repeat the Glasgow manoeuvre but this time take the Jeep full of burning gas canisters, or the cut-price version could use concrete blocks, and charge into the path of the "Heavy" nearing V1 on the runway via pre-cut (at night) fence and make the headlines big time.
What's Transec and DfT doing to address this? Oh yes, I forgot, my 200mls of sun-tan lotion will be confiscated by the jobsworths along with all the other window-dressing measures called Aviation Security.
C'mon Transec/DfT, let's have some positive response for a change???
Last edited by BARKINGMAD; 19th Feb 2013 at 21:42.
Lets see ....
Uncut = 50M
Cut = 350M
This "cutting" activity seems to be a very good business
Uncut = 50M
Cut = 350M
This "cutting" activity seems to be a very good business
Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 19th Feb 2013 at 19:31.
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What a bunch of shmucks the security at this airport. It happened so many times, they didnt learn anything.
What I dont get is how on earth those cars werent chased right away. Pilots and other staff that witnesed the event had access to radio to raise the alarm, didnt they?
Brussels is also home for so many EU institutions, NATO......you would expect to have the most secure airport in the world.
Unbelivable......
Having said that Im happy the guys were only after the gems. I dont want to imagine the picture if they were there for other purpose with all those guns near the planes.....
What I dont get is how on earth those cars werent chased right away. Pilots and other staff that witnesed the event had access to radio to raise the alarm, didnt they?
Brussels is also home for so many EU institutions, NATO......you would expect to have the most secure airport in the world.
Unbelivable......
Having said that Im happy the guys were only after the gems. I dont want to imagine the picture if they were there for other purpose with all those guns near the planes.....
Anyone else annoyed at the glamourising of criminals? Channel 4 news described it as a "Daring Jewel Heist" as though this was a film of the type mentioned earlier on in the thread.
How about "Violent Jewel Robbery"?
How about "Violent Jewel Robbery"?
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@Skytrax
Honestly, this could happen anywere in the world... It "may" look like Brussels airport isn't a secure airport but actually it is quite secure. I've been at BRU behind the screens a couple of times and the airport is more secure then one would think. I've been at some big and one major airport in the USA and it was amazing how easy it was to get in secure area's of the airport.
For example when I am invited to BRU (one of my suppliers has a facility in the secure area airside) I need to fax my ID card, I need to give a reason for the visit and then they perform a background check on me before I get a pass for the airport. Then when arriving at the airport my ID is checked with my pass and then I go through screening like every traveller does. IMHO quite secure...
Back in 2006 I was invited to visit a certain airport in California, this during my stay at a certain department. Hours later we arrived at the airport, we ran the bell at a backside entrance and where let in. We visited the airport, we spend some time at it, we discussed things, etc... All without any restrictions. I didn't need to give an ID nor I went through any screening.
In 2009 I was in Texas and was again invited to a certain major airport. We arrived at the location and again rang a bell, this time at a on site police office. We introduced ourself and were were given direction to where we needed to be, within minutes we were walking airside at this airport. Again, no ID check, no screening, they even didn't care to guide us to where I needed to be, just got directions and off we went. Again no restriction when we were at the airport.
I honestly admit that they knew I was going to visit but contrary to BRU I didn't need to send my passport, not even my ID card.
2 years ago when I was in the USA for a vacation I passed by an airport (non pax, only cargo, storage, ...) and I thought by myself let us visit it. Same thing happened, we rang the bell and where let through, minutes later we were airside. No advance notice, nothing...
The only thing needed to enter the airport was to introduce ourselfs as (Belgian) firefighters (which we really were but also herefor no prove was necessary) and the doors went wide open... If you try to do the same thing at BRU you won't get very far, actually you won't get anywhere unless you went through the proper procedures...
Regarding driving through the fence? I can name you dozens of airports where this is possible, hell most likely every single airport in the world will have a weak spot here or there. Where they went through the fence it's a desolate area used to park construction vehicles working at the airport but which are parked landside. It's quite a distance from there to where the planes are but BRU has some decent roads in the airport perimeter so I can imagine that they were able to drive quickly to their target.
I'm not sure there is much that can changed to the airport to avoid such cases in the future, maybe they need to build a new fence, maybe they need to use solid steel/iron instead of using the regular fence material (iron wires). But even then it's not guaranteed that they won't break through this also... Maybe motion detection, but I would asume they have that allready?
Where they could improve is the response time of the cops... It's one thing to break through a fence, drive to an airplane an rob it but it's another thing to drive through the same hole (located at a far distance of the plane) and get away with it... 500m from the location where the fence is broken there's a airport inspection site, less then 1,5 kilometers you'll have the main terminal where there are multiple cops guarding the airport (and annoying people that drop travellers and park to long). The moment the breach was noticed (afaik the whole perimeter is guarded with camera's) they should have started a big police alarm and since there is virtually only one way out (the road where the fence was breached is a dead end road) they should been able to stop then or at least meet then when they left. But apparently they ware easily able to get away before the cops arrived... But maybe they argued over who would take the call, typical Belgian there are several agencies responsable... You'll have the regular Federal Police which is responsable outside the terminal, then you have the Airport devision of the Federal Police which are responsible airside and then you have a private company responsable inside the property... I wouldn't be surprised if they argued first for a while before deciding who would take the call
Honestly, this could happen anywere in the world... It "may" look like Brussels airport isn't a secure airport but actually it is quite secure. I've been at BRU behind the screens a couple of times and the airport is more secure then one would think. I've been at some big and one major airport in the USA and it was amazing how easy it was to get in secure area's of the airport.
For example when I am invited to BRU (one of my suppliers has a facility in the secure area airside) I need to fax my ID card, I need to give a reason for the visit and then they perform a background check on me before I get a pass for the airport. Then when arriving at the airport my ID is checked with my pass and then I go through screening like every traveller does. IMHO quite secure...
Back in 2006 I was invited to visit a certain airport in California, this during my stay at a certain department. Hours later we arrived at the airport, we ran the bell at a backside entrance and where let in. We visited the airport, we spend some time at it, we discussed things, etc... All without any restrictions. I didn't need to give an ID nor I went through any screening.
In 2009 I was in Texas and was again invited to a certain major airport. We arrived at the location and again rang a bell, this time at a on site police office. We introduced ourself and were were given direction to where we needed to be, within minutes we were walking airside at this airport. Again, no ID check, no screening, they even didn't care to guide us to where I needed to be, just got directions and off we went. Again no restriction when we were at the airport.
I honestly admit that they knew I was going to visit but contrary to BRU I didn't need to send my passport, not even my ID card.
2 years ago when I was in the USA for a vacation I passed by an airport (non pax, only cargo, storage, ...) and I thought by myself let us visit it. Same thing happened, we rang the bell and where let through, minutes later we were airside. No advance notice, nothing...
The only thing needed to enter the airport was to introduce ourselfs as (Belgian) firefighters (which we really were but also herefor no prove was necessary) and the doors went wide open... If you try to do the same thing at BRU you won't get very far, actually you won't get anywhere unless you went through the proper procedures...
Regarding driving through the fence? I can name you dozens of airports where this is possible, hell most likely every single airport in the world will have a weak spot here or there. Where they went through the fence it's a desolate area used to park construction vehicles working at the airport but which are parked landside. It's quite a distance from there to where the planes are but BRU has some decent roads in the airport perimeter so I can imagine that they were able to drive quickly to their target.
I'm not sure there is much that can changed to the airport to avoid such cases in the future, maybe they need to build a new fence, maybe they need to use solid steel/iron instead of using the regular fence material (iron wires). But even then it's not guaranteed that they won't break through this also... Maybe motion detection, but I would asume they have that allready?
Where they could improve is the response time of the cops... It's one thing to break through a fence, drive to an airplane an rob it but it's another thing to drive through the same hole (located at a far distance of the plane) and get away with it... 500m from the location where the fence is broken there's a airport inspection site, less then 1,5 kilometers you'll have the main terminal where there are multiple cops guarding the airport (and annoying people that drop travellers and park to long). The moment the breach was noticed (afaik the whole perimeter is guarded with camera's) they should have started a big police alarm and since there is virtually only one way out (the road where the fence was breached is a dead end road) they should been able to stop then or at least meet then when they left. But apparently they ware easily able to get away before the cops arrived... But maybe they argued over who would take the call, typical Belgian there are several agencies responsable... You'll have the regular Federal Police which is responsable outside the terminal, then you have the Airport devision of the Federal Police which are responsible airside and then you have a private company responsable inside the property... I wouldn't be surprised if they argued first for a while before deciding who would take the call
Last edited by Bralo20; 20th Feb 2013 at 00:16.
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I thought all airports had gates specially designed to be driven though without being opened by heavy-enough fire engines. So the perimeter will always have a few unavoidable weak spots. However elsewhere it should be possible to dig a moat or build a berm just inside the wire. something to use the snow-vlearing kit for during the summer?
@ Bralo20
This existing "security" circus works only for the good guys. Did the violent robbers fax their ID cards and state their reason for their brief visit?
For example when I am invited to BRU (one of my suppliers has a facility in the secure area airside) I need to fax my ID card, I need to give a reason for the visit and then they perform a background check on me before I get a pass for the airport. Then when arriving at the airport my ID is checked with my pass and then I go through screening like every traveller does. IMHO quite secure...
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@bralo20
Well, the matter here is not about security inside de terminal, pax screening, liquids in the bags...etc
Its about making the whole airport secure against easy penetration. They failed big time when you think it happened so many times in the past. I dont get it.....motion sensors, cameras.....there was obviously a big whole in the system that the guys took advantage of.
Brussels is a high profile airport, because they have the EU and NATO institutins and because so many valuables are being trassported via this hub on regular basis. You would think that this kind of robberies are out of question...guns and cars on the ramp?! Lets get real, it is as serious as it can get.
Although the operation was fast, authorities had time to respond, to raise the alarm. Nothing happened.....It is outrageous.
Well, the matter here is not about security inside de terminal, pax screening, liquids in the bags...etc
Its about making the whole airport secure against easy penetration. They failed big time when you think it happened so many times in the past. I dont get it.....motion sensors, cameras.....there was obviously a big whole in the system that the guys took advantage of.
Brussels is a high profile airport, because they have the EU and NATO institutins and because so many valuables are being trassported via this hub on regular basis. You would think that this kind of robberies are out of question...guns and cars on the ramp?! Lets get real, it is as serious as it can get.
Although the operation was fast, authorities had time to respond, to raise the alarm. Nothing happened.....It is outrageous.
Last edited by skytrax; 20th Feb 2013 at 08:34.
As this seems to be a regular occurrence at EBBR, often involving Brinks, maybe they should be looking for an office cleaner who flies a helicopter between his yacht and house in Switzerland?
I remember taking charge of quite a few high-value packages going into EHAM and EBBR. Talking to someone in the diamond industry, they said that couriers often walked between establishments in Antwerp with £millions in their pockets but were hardly ever troubled. I asked why and he replied "You can run but you can't hide. They'll get you in the end."
I remember taking charge of quite a few high-value packages going into EHAM and EBBR. Talking to someone in the diamond industry, they said that couriers often walked between establishments in Antwerp with £millions in their pockets but were hardly ever troubled. I asked why and he replied "You can run but you can't hide. They'll get you in the end."
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And on-topic, I suppose airports are limited in how they can build their perimeter fences.
