A police helicopter whirred over Oslo Friday afternoon following the armed robbery of a bank in the city’s Majorstuen district, while specially trained dogs scoured the streets of the small town of Lyngdal in Vest-Agder after two masked men robbed a jewelry store. That heist also involved a pistol, and police had few leads.
Armed robberies are unusual in Norway and clearly shook up the victims of both. In Oslo, a man described as around 25 years old with dark hair and speaking broken Norwegian walked into the large branch of Nordea Bank at Majorstuen around 3:30 pm and threatened a clerk with a gun. He demanded cash, was handed an undetermined amount and disappeared on foot.
Witnesses said he was wearing a white T-shirt and dungaree shorts and carrying a black bag. Police cordoned off the area, one of the most heavily trafficked in Oslo, especially on a Friday afternoon.
All available patrols were assigned to the case and police were asking witnesses who were in the area between 3pm and 3:30pm to report any information they may have. No one was injured in the robbery.
In Lyngdal, two men wearing baseball caps and orange scarves over their faces robbed a jewelry store around two hours earlier. Police said one of the men pointed a pistol at the store’s two clerks while the other smashed and then emptied two glass cases full of gold jewelry.
The dramatic robbery took place in broad daylight in the center of town at the store on Kirkekeveien. The two workers in the store were not physically injured.
Police secured video from security cameras at the site and also as the robbers fled on foot. Specially trained dogs followed their route but the search was without results.
The two men were believed to be around 25 to 30 years old with light skin and wearing dark clothing.
newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund
