Van driver held over £2m raid

A Securicor van driver and two women are among 12 people being questioned today by police investigating last month's £2million cash raid at Heathrow.

Detectives arrested the 10 men and two women, aged between 21 and 37, in a series of raids on 16 homes in Norwood Green, Southall, Northolt, Isleworth and Hounslow, recovering £2.25 million from two of the premises.

The suspects are all believed to be Asian and aged between 21 and 37. One is thought to be the girlfriend of the 22-yearold van driver, who claimed he was hijacked at knifepoint on the airport tarmac.

In the robbery on 19 March, two men struck as two silver cash boxes containing US currency were being transferred from a South African Airlines jumbo to a security van in the "airside" area of Terminal One.

The driver said he was forced to drive out of the airport with a knife at his throat and the robbers then transferred the cash boxes to another van.

Other people who worked at the airport are also thought to be among those arrested.

Det Chief Supt John Coles said: "Today's arrests are the culmination of a two-month proactive operation by the Met's Flying Squad.

"This robbery was one of the biggest to take place in recent years. We have arrested 12 people today in connection with this incident but our inquiries continue and we would appeal for anyone with information to come forward."