Heavily-armed robbers have attacked the motorcade of a Saudi prince in Paris, making off with €250,000 (£200,000) in banknotes and reportedly stealing "sensitive" documents, French police have confirmed, reports The Telegraph.
Eight Kalashnikov-wielding assailants surrounded the motorcade at Porte de la Chapelle, northern Paris, as it was making its way from the Saudi embassy to an airport in Le Bourget, said police. There were no injuries.
During the spectacular heist at around 9pm on Sunday, the gunman stopped a Mercedes utility vehicle in the convoy and drove off with the car’s three occupants.
The assailants then let the three go and later burned the vehicle before vanishing.
No suspects have yet been apprehended.
According to the local daily Le Parisien, the men also stole documents said to be "sensitive".
"It's quite an unusual attack. They were clearly well-informed. It's true that it's quite a rare way of operating," the police source told AFP.
The Saudi embassy declined to comment.
The attack was highly “embarrassing” for Paris’ safety reputation among “Gulf residents who often travel with large sums of money”, according to Europe 1 radio.
While the attack was described as “rare”, there have been others on the outskirts of Paris.
Last month, around 15 individuals reportedly carried out a series of similar hold ups, blocking a road leading to the A6 motorway.
In July last year, daring thieves impersonated police officers to rob a senior official from the Saudi ministry of youth and sport shortly after his arrival in Paris – again near Le Bourget airport. The robbers made off with €200,000 (£160,000) in cash.
The robbers were armed and used two cars equipped with flashing lights and the word "Police" on them.
They stopped the car the Saudi official was travelling in and demanded an inspection of the boot, before making off with a suitcase containing €162,000, $30,000 and £10,000.
In Feburary, 2010, armed thieves stopped a vehicle carrying the Christina Chernovetska, daughter of the then mayor of Kiev, swiping jewellery worth 4.5 million euros.
Read more of this report from The Telegraph.