Corsican separatists arrested after failed bank heist
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Your support makes all the difference.Three Corsican separatists wanted in France on terrorism charges have been arrested in Portugal after raiding a bank.
Three Corsican separatists wanted in France on terrorism charges have been arrested in Portugal after raiding a bank.
They are accused of carrying out a string ofbank robberies across Portugal in recent weeks, netting €80,000 (£55,000) to fund Corsica's fight for independence from France.
International arrest warrants issued by the French authorities identified the men as members of the Corsican National Liberation Front (FLNC). A spokesman for the Portuguese police said yesterday: "The men are wanted for various violent acts committed in French territory, some using explosives."
The Corsican-born French nationals were seized on Tuesday after they raided a branch of the Spanish bank Banco Santander, in Viseu in central Portugal. They held the bank manager and another official hostage until they reached their getaway car, only to drive into a police ambush. They sped off and the police chased them for 20km.
They were cornered by police in a wooded area. Two of the raiders were injured in a shootout with police and were taken to hospital under armed guard. The third was jailed. He appeared in court in Viseu yesterday and was remanded in custody while police continued their investigation.
The police spokesman said that the three men, all 26, had been trained in the French Foreign Legion and were "extremely professional". He said: "They had excellent physical and strategic training." They carried Uzi sub-machine guns and pistols, and wore wigs and bullet-proof vests.
The men had robbed two other banks on Monday, one also in Viseu and the other in the ancient university town of Coimbra, north of Lisbon. Police said that they believed the men had also carried out two raids three weeks ago in Aveiro, south of Porto.
They apparently belong to a groupdedicated to raising funds for the Corsican independence movement. The group has been based for some time in Portugal.
The FLNC is one of several Corsican separatist groups carrying out armed attacks against France.
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