£295,000 Bottle of Wine Stolen from Spanish Restaurant’s Cellar

THE GUARDIAN: Owner says 215-year-old Château d’Yquem was among 45 bottles taken by English-speaking man and woman

Bottles of wine in a cellar. The restaurant’s owner said he had not calculated the total value of the stolen bottles, which were insured. Photograph: Régis Duvignau/Reuters
Two thieves stole 45 bottles of wine, including an extremely rare 215-year-old bottle valued at €350,000 (£295,000), from a collection at an upmarket hotel and restaurant complex in south-west Spain, the owner has said.

The theft took place in the early hours of Wednesday, according to José Polo, one of the owners of Atrio, a complex comprising a hotel and a two-Michelin-starred restaurant with a cellar sheltering more than 40,000 bottles in the city of Cáceres.

“They were professionals, they knew exactly what they were doing” Polo said after deciding to make the robbery public through a letter to customers and friends.

The suspects are a man and woman who spoke English and gave staff the impression of being a refined couple, who checked into the hotel and dined at its restaurant. They asked a hotel front desk clerk to serve them more food and when he went to the kitchen, leaving security camera monitors unattended, the man slipped into the cellar and stole the bottles, Polo said. » | Associated Press in Valbuena | Friday, October 29, 2021

Islamic Groups Offer Reward for Arrests for Crimes Committed in Muslim Garb
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: A recent wave of bank holdups and a homicide committed by men dressed as Muslim women has prompted the Philadelphia-area Islamic community to offer a $20,000 reward for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

The Majlis Ash Shura, an organization representing the membership of 71 masajids and congregations in the Philadelphia area, was joined by elected officials at a news conference Tuesday at City Hall.

The message from the District Attorney’s Office and the Islamic community: zero tolerance.

“Philadelphia is a unique city in that Islam is not new here,” said Aliya Khabir, a public relations official representing the national United Muslim Masajid. “It’s up to us to set the tone for how this is addressed.”

Five bank robberies

Since December, there have been at least five bank robberies in Philadelphia in which the suspects wore Muslim clothing. The most recent holdups include a robbery at the Wells Fargo Bank in the 700 block of Adams Avenue and the Sovereign Bank in the 8300 block of Stenton Avenue. On April 18, a suspect dressed in Muslim garb entered an Upper Darby barber shop and fatally shot Michael Turner, 35. Sharif Wynn, 27, of Philadelphia has been arrested. » | Laura Cofsky | Inquirer Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Paris: Männer in Burka rauben Postfiliale aus
DIE PRESSE: Zwei mit Ganzkörperschleiern Maskierte erbeuteten unerkannt 4500 Euro. Erst als sie die Waffen zogen und Geld verlangten wurde offenbar, dass es sich nicht um Frauen handelt.

Äußerst ungewöhnlich getarnt haben zwei Männer in der Nähe von Paris eine Postfiliale überfallen. Statt ihr Gesicht mit der in Gangsterkreisen üblichen Sturmhaube zu verdecken, hüllten sich die Räuber komplett in muslimische Ganzkörperschleier. Erst als sie eine Waffe zogen, bemerkten viele der Postkunden, dass es sich bei den beiden Burka-Trägern nicht um muslimische Frauen handelte. >>> DiePresse.com | Sonntag, 07. Februar 2010

Armed Robbers Disguised in Burkhas Carry Out £4,000 Raid
MAIL ONLINE: Armed robbers disguised in burkhas have escaped with thousands in cash after carrying out a post office raid in Paris.

The crime – which took place yesterday in the suburb of Athis Mons – comes following calls for the controversial garments to be banned.
 
President Nicolas Sarkozy himself has described them as a ‘security risk’, saying they provide the perfect cover for criminals or terrorists.

Now those fighting for the ban claim the robbery – which is the first of its kind in France – shows how useful the burkha is as a disguise.

It took place at around 10.30am, when two robbers carrying pistols entered the main post office bank building in Athis Mons, which has a large immigrant Muslim community, mainly from North Africa.

Once inside they ordered a bank clerk to take out the equivalent of £4,000 in cash by pointing a pistol at him. After ten minutes they fled to a nearby car park and escaped. >>> Peter Allen | Sunday, February 07, 2010

Ils braquent la poste en burqa
lePARISIEN.fr: Deux hommes, dissimulés sous une burqa, ont braqué le bureau de poste d’Athis-Mons (Essonne) pour un butin de 4 500 € .

Si le braquage n’était pas très juteux, le costume était insolite. Hier matin, vers 10 h 30, deux personnes vêtues de burqa et de baskets se sont attaquées à un bureau de poste à Athis-Mons (Essonne). Les malfrats sont repartis avec un butin estimé à 4 500 €. « J’ai d’abord cru que c’étaient des femmes, raconte Sonia, un témoin de la scène.

Je les ai vus traverser la route. Ils étaient grands et baraqués. Et en les voyant courir sous leur burqa noire, avec leurs baskets, j’ai compris que c’étaient des hommes. » >>> Céline Carez et Florence Mereo | Dimanche 07 Février 2010

Saudi Princess Robbed in Sardinia
BBC: Italian police are investigating the theft of some $16m (£10m) in cash and jewellery from a Saudi princess staying on the Italian island of Sardinia.

The thieves used a master key to gain entry to her luxury hotel suite in Porto Cervo before ripping a safe from the wall, Italian media reports say.

They said the safe was only fixed with silicon to the wall in the suite.

Officials have not named the princess but say Italian and Saudi diplomats have had talks about the incident.

"The thieves used a master key. In 10 minutes at dinner time, without making any noise, they managed to remove the safe from a suite occupied by the Saudi princess," Italy's La Stampa newspaper reported.

The hotel is located in one of the most chic resort areas on the Italian island. [Source: BBC] | Sunday, August 09, 2009

Muslim-owned Shop Bans Customers Wearing Veils
THE TELEGRAPH: A Muslim-owned jewellery shop has decided to ban customers wearing veils after being targeted by robbers disguised as Islamic women.

Muslim women in a niqab will be encouraged to telephone in advance to ensure that a female member of staff is present during their visit, to confirm their identities. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Everyone entering ATAA Jewellers in Glasgow must reveal their faces under planned new rules to protect staff from further attacks.

The store owners decided to act after two Asian men wearing traditional Muslim women's clothes – including niqab veils – made away with thousands of pounds worth of jewellery earlier this month.

The pair, who were also carrying handbags, pretended to be interested in buying some items but attacked staff with pepper spray when cabinets were unlocked.

Now the Sadiq family who run the shop are planning to put up a sign informing customers that they cannot wear any headgear that covers the face. >>> By Matthew Moore | Tuesday, April 28, 2009