Armed robbers disguised in burkhas escaped with thousands in cash after carrying out a post office raid in Paris.
The crime – which took place yesterday in the suburb of Athis Mons – comes as the French government faces growing calls for the controversial garments to be banned.
President Nicolas Sarkozy himself has described them as a ‘security risk’, saying they provide the perfect cover for criminals or terrorists.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has described burkhas as a 'security risk' saying they provide the perfect cover for criminals and terrorists
Now those fighting for the ban claim the robbery – which is the first of its kind in France – shows how useful the burkha is as a disguise.
It took place at around 10.30am, when two robbers carrying pistols entered the main post office bank building in Athis Mons, which has a large immigrant Muslim community, mainly from North Africa.
Once inside they ordered a bank clerk to take out the equivalent of £4,000 in cash by pointing a pistol at him. After ten minutes they fled to a nearby car park and escaped.
Police fear that they will not be able to identify the robbers on CCTV cameras.
‘It was a perfect disguise,’ said one detective. ‘Their faces and bodies were completely covered.’
The robbery led to Le Parisien, the main daily paper in the French capital, to ask: ‘Will this first robbery using a burkha re-launch the debate about the Islamic veil being worn in public places?’
A government committee has already recommended that burkhas should not be allowed in civil buildings and on public transport, and a full ban could follow.
In August in the UK a robber dressed from head to toe in a traditional Muslim woman's burkha raided a travel agent, and also made off with thousands in cash.
There were similar raids in other parts of the country, with one burkha-clad robber getting away with £150,000 from a jewellers in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
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