Men deny their part in 'Dh1 million 30-second' Dubai robbery

Dubai // Two men robbed a money exchange at gunpoint, a court heard yesterday.

They wore masks and stormed into the Motor City branch of Redha Al Ansari Exchange last September, screaming at customers and employees.

Frenchman KH, 39, pointed a gun while his compatriot FM, 21, ransacked the tills, prosecutors said. They were inside for less than a minute.

How much was stolen was not noted in prosecution records but police said at the time it was about Dh1 million in different currencies.

"I saw two people wearing black clothes and face masks," said a witness. "One was holding a gun and the other was carrying a black bag. I felt scared so I stopped and saw them drive away in a silver Chevrolet."

Prosecutors said FM confessed but both men denied the charges in court.

FM reportedly said that the men had noticed about six weeks previously that the branch was poorly guarded.

"There were no police present at this branch and it was also close to where we lived so we decided to rob it," he said.

Emirati brothers MA, 32, and AA, 39, have been charged with aiding the men and supplying a weapon and vehicle. They are accused of selling a gun and ammunition for Dh3,000 and of bringing an unlicensed weapon into the country.

The French men were arrested on the day of the robbery outside the Fairmont Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road after police tracked the car used in the raid.

The next hearing is expected later this month.

wissa@thenational.ae