STOCKHOLM — With cinematic flourish, the masked robbers dropped from a helicopter onto the roof of a Swedish cash depot before dawn, broke into the building through a glass pyramid, set off explosions to get to the millions inside and escaped by hoisting themselves and their haul back up on rope lines.
All in 20 minutes, and all while Stockholm police were grounded by a fake bomb planted outside their own helicopter hangar.
Sweden has had its share of high-profile heists against cash-storage facilities, post offices and armored cars in recent years, but police said Wednesday's commando-style robbery was the first to use a helicopter.
"There are about 100 hard-core criminals in this country who have specialized in this type of serious robbery," said Jerzy Sarnecki, professor in criminology at Stockholm University. "They are definitely no amateurs."
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He said every successful heist inspires others to follow suit, which explains why they have become relatively frequent in Sweden.
"When you have a group of people doing these things, others are inspired by them," Sarnecki said.
A nationwide manhunt was launched for the suspects. Investigators believed at least 10 professional outlaws were involved.
"These are people who most likely have committed similar crimes before," police spokesman Ulf Goranzon said.
The company that owns the high-security facility, G4S PLC, said the thieves made off with "an unconfirmed sum of money" and added it would offer a large reward for information leading to their arrest and the return of the loot.
Britain-based G4S PLC is one of the world's largest security companies. The Vastberga facility stores cash that is transported to banks and other businesses in Sweden. G4s declined to say how much money was in the cash depot when it was attacked.
Swedish criminologist Leif G.W. Persson told Swedish news agency TT that there normally would have been about 1 billion kronor ($150 million) stored there. Persson said the robbers likely got help from a current or former employee. "You always need an insider in this kind of crime," he told TT.
The helicopter swooped down on the depot shortly after 5 a.m. and hovered there while the team of robbers did their work. Investigators said they wore masks and were believed to have carried automatic weapons along with explosives. Witnesses reported hearing loud bangs.
"What we know is that they forced down some kind of wall to get in," police spokesman Christian Agdur said. "We don't want to comment on how they did it."
Police later found an abandoned helicopter near a lake north of Stockholm.
