The Northern Bank robbery took place at the bank’s headquarters, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On December 20, a group of robbers stole $50 million in pounds. This is one of the biggest robberies in UK history. Both the police and the Irish and British governments pointed their finger at Provisional IRA. They, however, strongly refuted the allegation.
On December 19, 2004, armed men broke into the houses of two of the Northern Bank officials. The robbers were disguised in police men and threaten to kill the bankers’ families. They then kidnapped some of the bankers’ relatives and made the bankers work at the bank as if nothing had happened. After closing time, the bankers remained in the institution and allowed the robbers to enter the bank. They went straight to the money deposit area where a large amount of money was stored ready to fuel ATMs for Christmas. The money was transferred in several vans, the group vanished and the kidnapped relatives were released.