We're not sure how five men with automatic weapons got past security in Asuncion, Paraguay. But they managed to steal $1 million from a passenger in the airport boarding area Tuesday.
Julian Sanabria, a local police officer, described what happened:
They went up to the Chinese passenger and took away the case with a million dollars. We police were all surprised, and also we could not fire because there were 150 passengers waiting in the boarding area at that moment.
The owner of the briefcase is a resident of Paraguay and runs a currency exchange business at the airport. According to officials he was transporting the money to Montevideo, Uruguay for what appeared to be a legal transaction.
Hmm, a recent ASU visitor said there are usually coins on a ledge in the airport men's room here -- guessing their weren't enough coins to deter these thieves.
It's not very reassuring to know police stood by and did nothing while the gunmen robbed an innocent man. But seriously--who carries a million dollars in cash anyway?
[Photo Credit: alex-s] ]]>