Gewapende overval in Europarlement (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A lone robber attacked a bank located inside the European Parliament building in Brussels on Thursday (12 February) afternoon, causing major disruption.
The attack occurred at around 4pm local time at a branch of the ING bank in the parliament's Paul Henri Spaak i (PHS) building in the heart of the European quarter.
"The man showed a gun, or something that like looked like a gun, the staff were afraid so they gave him the cash in the register and he escaped," European Parliament spokesperson Jaume Duch told this website.
Nobody was hurt, Mr Duch added.
The bag containing the money was quickly recovered. But the robber - reportedly wearing a wig and make up - remained on the loose in the parliament vicinity as late as 5pm, another parliament official said.
Several EU staff working in the large PHS office block, which contains the parliament's plenary chamber, remained unaware of the drama.
But others closer to the scene of the crime were alarmed by the heavy police presence, including a helicopter, as well as rumours that the robber was on the run inside the building itself.
The PHS building often plays host to VIPs, including heads of state. But it has a low profile security presence compared to the European Commission and European Council buildings.