Bank customers dodge October City armed robbery

Police have thwarted an attempt by armed men to rob customers leaving a branch of the National Bank of Egypt in 6 October City, Ahram's Arabic portal reports. On Thursday morning, three employees of appliance manufacturer Goldi exited the bank and were driving away when they were intercepted by four armed men in another car, who opened fire in an attempt to stop them. The three Goldi employees were carrying LE150,000 (approx. $25,000) they had just withdrawn from the bank, says Ahram's report. Police officers stationed in front of the bank exchanged fire with the would-be robbers and forced them to flee the scene. No one was hurt in the attempted robbery. Police are still hunting for the assailants. Thursday's attempted robbery follows a string of bank robberies in Egypt over the last two weeks. On Wednesday, security guards foiled an attempted armed robbery at a branch of French bank Credit Agricole in the resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh. Tuesday saw another failed robbery attempt on a branch of HSBC-Egypt, also in 6 October City on the western edge of Cairo. Early the previous week, seven gunmen successfully stormed an HSBC-Egypt branch in Heliopolis, northwest Cairo, seizing up to $150,000 in cash.