DARING RAID BY TERRORISTS ON TEL AVIV BANK

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 September 1947, Page 7

DARING RAID BY TERRORISTS ON TEL AVIV BANK

(Reed. 11.5 a.m.) JERUSALEM, September 26. An error cost J ewish terrorists £105,000 when they raided Barclay’s bank, Tel Aviv, today. They shot dead four British policemen, seriously wounded another, hit a Jewish constable and wounded six civilians, but instead of £150,000 they got away with only £45,000.

About 20 terrorists took part in the raid. Some mingled with the crowd inside the bank. Others covered the operation from the street. They set off explosions against a nearby building and created diversions by waving red flags and sending the traffic into a tangle.

They started the attack as the second of two sacks full of money was being’heaved into a police armoured car standing outside the bank. Terrorists shot three policemen in the car and made off with two sacks in a'jeep.

Other terrorists in the bank, .disguised as Arab customers, shot their way out while their confederates’ in

the streets threw hand-grenades and fired small arms indiscriminately to create a general scare. One sack contained £105,000 and the other £45,000. The raiders were almost clear when a traffic collision stopped their jeep. Under fire' and with two of their number wounded, they dropped one sack. They shot a fourth British policeman and made off with the sack containing the smaller amount of money. British troops and police. immediately rushed to the area and began an intensive search for the ter- I rorists, which was continuing tonight. The money was a month’s pay for the police in the Tel Aviv area.