Friday afternoon bank bomb threat

For the second time in two weeks CIBC First Caribbean International Bank has been the target of criminals.  This afternoon shortly after two o’clock employees of the local office at the San Cas Plaza spilled out to the parking lot when a call was received that a bomb had been planted inside the building.  Not taking the threat lightly the Police Department was immediately notified and a detachment of officers, including private security personnel, cordoned off the perimeter.  Approximately forty-five minutes later a Belize Defense Force explosives expert arrived on the scene accompanied by a detail of armed soldiers.  A thorough sweep of the entire building later yielded nothing.  On March first, the FCIB San Cas Plaza branch was hit by four armed robbers who proceeded to steal two hundred and thirty thousand dollars from the bank’s vault.  Immediately following the heist police pursued the thieves to an area along the Northern Highway across the river from La Croix Boulevard in Lake Independence.  During the pursuit several officers came under fire from one of the robbers, identified as Alberto Assi, who was shot and killed in the exchange.  While we do note that the incidents may not be related it isn’t the first time a bomb threat has been called in from the San Cas Plaza.