Helicopter News

Video Grabs - from helicopter Bank Holdup

24th Dec 1999 - A full update on this event ...

Today's Sydney Morning Herald has an article about this hold-up and also about the 'Rascol' gangs and crime in Port Moresby.

The 5 who executed the robbery hijacked the helicopter, landed on the roof of the Central Bank in Moresby, ran thru the building distributing notes on PNG Defence Dept letterhead that this was a military anti-terrorist exercise called operation Quick Save

The Helicopter was from Pacific Helicopters. The pilot was told that the 5 were going to distribute Christmas gifts to relatives in a village to the south of Moresby. The pilot Otto Embel, was only told their true intent once they were airborne.

The Rascols (gangsters) donned army fatigues and blaclavas. Accomplices parked a white dual-cab utiliy truck near the building and a boat with a large outboard was moored at Ella beach. The plan unravelled when the air traffic control at the airport saw the h/c flying low over the city - breech of flying rules - they alerted police. The police already had intelligence reports of a possible large bank hold-up likely to occur. The police had a team on the ready in preparation for a possible hold-up. These included troops who had been fighting in Bougainville. It also turned out that the police HQ was alongside the bank.

During the hold-up the robbers panicked when a staff member threw a teargas canister at them. 4 were in the bank and one was holding the h/c pilot at gun point.

The h/c had only lifted off about 5 meters when an est 25 police armed with heavy automatic rifles and shotguns opened up on the h/c. With its hydralics shot out, the h/c slowly rolled spiralled to the ground near Jackson Wharf.

Incredibly all aboard scrambled out & one provided covering fire while his 4 accomplices tried to escape - they were all gunned down and the other was seized - he had been wounded in the leg. An eyewitness then says how he saw different groups of police beat the captive over a period on time untill he was so badly injured he was sent to hospital but died on the way there.

The robbers were found to have police weapons & hand grenades in their possesion.

The police were waiting......

People were evacuated from surrounding buildings ...

Accomplices were said to have entered the bank from the street as well as the helicopter landing on the roof ...

The police shot at the helicopter damaging its engine as the robbers tried to escape. It then crashed landed a few kilometers away ... ...

Add to the body count one dead Squirrel AS350

(tks Walter).

The pilot escaped unhurt as the hijackers/robbers attempted to escape in a car. Police shot dead 5 people. It is still unclear if they were all members of the hijackers ...

These Photos courtesy of Doug Marker (extracted from Video)

THIS SITE = www.internetage.com.au/demo/

D.Marker email: dmarker@zeta.org.au