Gunman killed during airport heist in Albania
A robbery at an Albania international airport has led to a deadly shootout, police say.
One gunman was killed after a group of thieves broke into Mother Teresa airport and stole bags of cash from a plane heading for Vienna. The robbers reportedly ran into security officials during their escape and gunfire was exchanged. Police confirmed that a sum of money had been taken during the incident but would not say how much. Local media report that the group, dressed in military fatigues, entered the airport and posed as tax officials. They later approached a security team transferring the cash from an armoured van, holding them at gunpoint while retrieving the money from the plane. Police later retrieved the body of one gunmen after members of the group threw his body out of their getaway vehicle. Several of perpetrators are still on the run, though an exact number is unclear. Albania's central bank does not accept deposits of hard currency, forcing some locally-based foreign banks to ship their hard currencies to Austria by plane. Over the last few years, several similar robberies have taken place at the airport, which is named in honour of the Albanian Catholic nun and missionary. In February 2017, thieves stole €3.2m ($3.6m; £2.7m). Police later found some of the money stashed underground in pressure cookers.