Armed gang robs bank of £2,000

ARMED raiders escaped with about £2,000 yesterday after simultaneous hold ups in a bank and a building society in Co Laois.

Two of the five man gang entered the AIB bank in Abbeyleix shortly before 11 a.m., while another two attempted to raid the town's First National Building Society, about 50 yards away.

The first two escaped with some cash, but the raid on the building society was foiled by a time delay safe. The raiders made their getaway in a car driven by the fifth member of the gang.

A garda in a routine car patrol attempted to block the getaway vehicle, but the gang evaded him and drove off very dangerously" in the direction of Cork. The red Opel Kalibra sports car - thought to have been stolen in Blackrock, Co Dublin, on Thursday - was later found abandoned on a side road two miles from the town.

Gardai believe the gang transferred to a dark green BMW which was seen later travelling at speed on the Carlow side of Abbeyleix, perhaps going in the direction of Dublin. A similar car, with a 94 D registration number was stolen in the Stillorgan area of Dublin early on Friday.

A Garda source said the gang members spent less than a minute in both banks, and only succeeded in getting cash which was easily available. They were heavily masked with helmets and scarves, and at least one of the two who entered each bank was armed, with a short rifle and a handgun among the weapons used.

A small sum of money was taken recently in a break in at the post office in Abbeyleix, but gardai say the events are unrelated.