INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
By Lucia Binding, news reporter Armed robbers have made off with a large sum of cash as it was being loaded on to a passenger plane in
Albania.One robber was shot dead in an exchange of gunfire with police at Mother Teresa International Airport in Tirana on Tuesday
afternoon, but the cash was not recovered.Up to five robbers reportedly smashed through a wire and iron airport gate in a van and took the
authorities have not confirmed the amount.The dead man has been identified by his wife as Admir Murataj, who had been at large since 2013
after he was one of a dozen Albanians who broke out of prison in Greece.Image:Forensic experts search for evidence near the village of
Rinas, near Tirana, following the heistPolice said his accomplices fled and are still on the run.Defence minister Olta Xhacka said she
ordered military police and a special air forces battalion to install a security perimeter around the airport.She said the government would
"no longer allow the security of citizens and the country's image to suffer", as this is the second time in three years that Tirana airport
has been targeted in a heist.Police said they found the burned-out remains of three vehicles that were used in the robbery, in three
different locations.Passengers are reported to have been on the plane during the heist, and airport officials later said they were not in
danger.The Vienna-bound plane eventually took off several hours late.Image:Robbers stole millions of euros from an Austria Airlines
aeroplaneAlbanian government ministers put blame on the company that runs the airport, Hong Kong-based China Everbright.Interior minister
Sander Lleshaj said that "security mechanisms, which are under the concessionary's responsibility, have not functioned".The defence minister
also accused the company of "persistent irresponsibility".China Everbright rejected these claims as "incorrect" and said the country's
police were responsible for protecting the airport.In a statement, it said: "The airport does not belong to the Chinese
It belongs to all Albanians, it is part of Albania's territory and by law it is protected by the state police."Cash is often sent out of
Albania by private banks because the country's central bank does not accept foreign currency.Austrian Airlines said it has temporarily
suspended the transportation of cash.A similar robbery occurred at the airport in 2016.Albanian President Ilir Meta called on authorities to
find the perpetrators as soon as possible.Speaking at a news conference, he said: "I consider such a repeat event as a serious threat to
national security, public order and the country's image."
