France - robbery

Heist hero surrenders in Monaco

Article published on the 2009-11-16 Latest update 2009-11-16 18:30 TU

The recovered cash
(Photo: AFP)

A French security van driver who quickly became an overnight hero on the internet after allegedly stealing 11.6 million euros, has handed himself in, in Monaco. Toni Musulin turned up in the small country, and was handed over to French authorities, although he was not formally arrested by Monaco police.

Musulin’s armoured vehicle was originally found abandoned on 5 November in Lyon with 49 sacks of money missing. Then two days later police discovered nine million euros in a garage lockup close by.

He had apparently disappeared from outside a Bank of France building while his two colleagues from the Swedish security firm Loomis returned inside the premises.

It was thought he might head to the Balkans after the heist, where he has family. But instead he headed south, 500 kilometres to Monaco, on a rented motorbike.

Officials in the small sovereign state said he was acting strangely when he surrendered, but they could not arrest him because they had not received any international arrest warrant.

Tony Musulin.

Instead an exchange took place in the Jardin Exotique, a park on the border between the two countries.

Due to the fact that the robbery was not violent, he is likely to face a maximum prison sentence of three years if found guilty.

The van driver earned about 2,000 euros a month for his security job, but following the theft, investigations revealed that despite his nominal wage, he had previously managed to purchase a Ferrari.

News of the heist quickly ignited support from across the internet for Musulin. Facebook groups such as “Tony Musulin for president” praised his non-violent approach, while one fan set up a website in his honour - http://www.tonymusulin.fr/

Interpol had issued an alert to 185 countries for Musulin’s arrest.