Two Swedish gang members still at large after attempted robbery of cash truck near Turku on Wednesday

Police ambush deterred international gang thought to be responsible for earlier Turku heist

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Finnish police are looking for two Swedish members of an armed gang after preventing an attempted robbery of a vehicle loaded with cash in the municipality of Lieto near Turku on Wednesday evening.
      The police took 11 men into custody, all of them allegedly members of an international gang, while two Swedish men managed to escape during the operation. Despite extensive searches, the suspects have not been found as yet.
     
Reportedly, the foreigners involved in the attempted robbery had arrived in Helsinki by ferry and by plane already at the beginning of this week.
      Since the armed robbery that took place in Turku last February, the police have been tracking the gang, having also been aware of the men’s plot to hold up a G4S cash transport vehicle in Lieto.
      According to Detective Superintendent Teijo Ristola, who is in charge of the investigations, a group of some 100 police officers teamed up from various parts of Southwestern Finland, including the heavy-duty Readiness Unit called Karhuryhmä ("Bear Squad") from Helsinki. Hiding such a large armed group, including a full SWAT team, around the centre of Lieto (pop. 15,000) was quite a demanding task, admits Ristola.
     
The five men forming the core group of the robbers were equipped with two Kalashnikov assault rifles, two pistols, explosives, bullet-prof vests, and masks. In addition, four newish fast cars had been stolen from Sweden.
      According to the information gathered by Helsingin Sanomat, at least two of the vehicles had Finnish licence plates which had been stolen from cars of various makes in Lahti and Helsinki. Two of the vehicles had been used for the robbery.
      Ristola reports that the cash transport car was making its normal rounds in Lieto, transferring cash to the "destination", while only the company’s management had been informed of the situation.
      Det. Supt. Ristola stresses that the robbers were not let near the money transport vehicle, as immediately when the men set out, police laid siege to their car.
     
No shots were fired during the capture of the three armed robbers, while the police equipped with helmets, machine pistols, and bullet-proof vests closed off all roads to the centre of Lieto.
      A helicopter was sent to search for the escaped suspects, keeping Lieto inhabitants awake throughout the night. The taxis and newspaper delivery vans had to wait until the end of the siege, while traffic on Highway 10 was badly congested.
     
The police has given the following description of the two robbers still at large:
      Johan Anthony Batalla, born in 1964, height 183 cm, sturdy build, dark hair. Batalla is also known under the names Vidas Larynaitis, Tony Persson, and Giedrius Tamosiunas.
      Mikael Björn Malmberg, born in 1971, height 178 cm, athletic, brown hair. Malmberg is also known under the name Kazimieras Motieka.
      The suspects possibly speak Swedish or English. The police also believe that some of the suspects may have been involved in the robbery from a Bank of Finland money transport vehicle in Turku last February.
      The international gang, suspected of involvement in both incidents, includes a total of some 15 Finnish, Swedish, and Estonian members.
      The police have requested anyone who has knowledge of the movements of these men to contact them on the following numbers of the National Bureau of Investigation in Turku:
      050 337 8786 / Toivonen
      050 574 0590 / Hoikkala.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Eye-witnesses to Turku robbery report seeing two vehicles fleeing (22.2.2007)
  Armed gang hits cash consignment; border surveillance tightened (20.2.2007)
  Armed gang hold up money transport vehicle in Mariehamn (11.8.2006)
  Police suspect international links in Turku robbery (21.2.2007)

Links:
  Karhuryhmä (Wikipedia)

Helsingin Sanomat