Northern Bank Headquarters

54°35′46″N 5°55′55″W / 54.596°N 5.932°W / 54.596; -5.932

Northern Bank headquarters in May 2010

The Northern Banks Headquarters in Belfast is the head office of Danske Bank in Northern Ireland after being acquired by Danske Bank in 2005.[1] It is located in Donegall Square West and was the location of the infamous Northern Bank robbery which is the largest bank robbery in British history.[2]

Robbery

On 19 December 2004, men posing as PSNI officers arrived at the homes of two Northern Bank staff members and threatened to kill their families if they did not go to work normally the following day and follow their instructions. The two men listened to the robbers the next day and they were able to escape with cash amounting to £26.5 million.[3] The bank was able to distribute new notes and recalled the old one rendering a portion of the stolen money useless.[4][5] Many people suspected IRA of being involved in the robbery and the peace talks that led up to Good Friday Agreement almost broke down as a result.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ "Green light for NAB options desk". independent. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. ^ Bowcott, Owen; Oliver, and Ted (22 December 2004). "£20m stolen in UK's biggest bank robbery - was it paramilitaries or common criminals?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  3. ^ Reid, Liam. "IRA emerged as chief suspect in #26.5m Northern Bank robbery". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Alert as Northern Bank swaps cash". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Lateral Thinking in the Fight Against Crime. The Northern Bank Robbery Story". Destination Innovation. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  6. ^ Glendinning, Lee (9 October 2008). "Northern Bank robbery: The crime that nearly ended the Northern Ireland peace process". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  7. ^ Lister, David. "Proceeds of £40m bank theft could pay IRA 'pensions'". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 February 2020.