Palermo, robbery with hostages and loot worth 84 thousand euros: the alleged thieves arrested.
The State Police, at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor's Office Palermo, carried out 5 arrest orders for criminal suspects against the same number of convicted criminals.
All the subjects - specialized in "away" bank robberies - are currently seriously suspected of having perpetrated an armed robbery at the aforementioned credit institution, also taking steps to kidnap 40 people, including employees and customers, for around 6 minutes. The "loot" from the robbery is equivalent to €84.000.
In particular, on the morning of 04 April last, a bloody robbery was perpetrated against the CREDEM bank, located in the center of Terrasini, during which 3 men - disguised by hats and masks, box cutter in hand - entered the bank credit and waited for the timed opening of the vault, for a period of approximately 40 minutes. In the meantime, under threat, they forced one of the tellers to make 10 "cash in" withdrawals of €2000 from the bank's coffers. Before leaving, they tied up the employees and customers with cable ties and disappeared.
The survey
The investigative activity - coordinated by the local prosecutor's office, first department - made it possible to identify not only the three subjects who actually accessed the bank but also two other suspects who nevertheless played an active role in the commission of this heinous crime.
One of the 5 arrested was subjected to the alternative sentence of semi-liberty, with the obligation to carry out voluntary work at a city association: a circumstance which he also exploited to create an alibi the afternoon immediately after the robbery, as he went to that structure, but wearing the same clothing used to commit the crime.
Another of those arrested, however, under special surveillance with an obligation to stay due to the mafia, on this occasion also violated the provisions imposed by the prevention measure as - obviously - he is not authorized to travel outside the municipality of Palermo, as well as to associate with prejudiced.
For both, an aggravating circumstance generated by their previous status was triggered, while 4 of the 5 arrested were also accused of repeating themselves.
The wiretapping
From the interception activities it also emerged that those arrested today boasted of their skills and the "positive" comments received at the end of a press article referring precisely to the robbery in question. This circumstance also made it possible to establish important time points regarding the criminal responsibilities alleged against them for the events that occurred in Terrasini.
Furthermore, the same subjects rejoiced at the fact that, recently, the political discussion on the abolition of the use of masks had stopped, considering it a fortune for their business, due to the fact that the misrepresentation in this way is almost natural.
Today's measures are also consequent to the plan that emerged during the interception activity, relating to the fact that the aforementioned people had the intention of going off-site and in particular to some cities in central-northern Italy to perpetrate other robberies.
During the phases of the investigation, however, there was no lack of frequent inspections by the suspects, preparatory to the commission of other "hits" also in some locations in this province.
On one occasion, however, the targeted control carried out on them made it possible to prevent the perpetration of a further robbery on a bank in a neighboring municipality.
The evidential framework at the moment provides serious indications of guilt against the suspects whose actual responsibility can be assessed during the subsequent procedural phases. During the validation, the GIP ordered the precautionary measure of custody in prison.
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