Dublin, Ireland – Two Northern Ireland bank employees were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the robbery of their Belfast bank, raising questions about whether the British-record theft could have been an inside job.
Chris Ward, 24, and a 22-year-old woman whom police refused to identify were being held at Antrim, west of Belfast, where under anti-terrorist laws they could be held for up to a week before being charged or released.
A detective familiar with the investigation into the $50 million robbery Dec. 20 confirmed that Ward was under arrest, as well as a female friend who also works for Northern Bank.
Northern Ireland police commanders, the British and Irish governments, and international experts all have accused the outlawed Irish Republican Army of robbing the central vault of the Northern Bank. The IRA has denied involvement.
Masked, armed gangs took hostage the families of two key Northern Bank employees, including Ward, and threatened to kill those hostages unless both men cooperated and raised no alarms.
Three people have been charged and ordered held without bail in connection with the robbery investigation. None has been accused of actually carrying out the raid.
