The OFFICIAL Monaco and French Riviera Thread.
#911
03-29-2014, 05:22 AM
Cannes
Security
From ABC Nightline at 2:10 "There is no doubt it was a chocking heist but what is even more chocking is that 24 hours later, there is no police swarming the hotel, there is no extra security"
They will never learn.....
Security
From ABC Nightline at 2:10 "There is no doubt it was a chocking heist but what is even more chocking is that 24 hours later, there is no police swarming the hotel, there is no extra security"
They will never learn.....
#912
03-29-2014, 06:00 AM
Cannes
[B]Security[/B}
Here is the CCTV footage from the robbery. Note how the Arabic "security" almost throw himself on the floor like a little girl.
NEW CCTV Pink Panther robber's £88MILLION Cannes gems raid - YouTube
[B]Security[/B}
Here is the CCTV footage from the robbery. Note how the Arabic "security" almost throw himself on the floor like a little girl.
NEW CCTV Pink Panther robber's £88MILLION Cannes gems raid - YouTube
So I can do that and go away with millions like nothing happends? lol
#913
03-29-2014, 06:24 PM
I couldn't believe it either when I heard it right after it happened.
And I am not the only high profile security expert that feels so strong about it.
Take a look here tomorrow and I will post another evaluation...
#915
03-30-2014, 05:37 AM
Cannes
French Riviera Security
Yes and just wait until you read my analyze later today....I will reveal mistake after mistake.
French Riviera Security
Yes and just wait until you read my analyze later today....I will reveal mistake after mistake.
#916
03-30-2014, 02:03 PM
Cannes
French Riviera Security
Well it was not difficult to see where you could steel some diamonds if you were in that business... The story continues, analyze coming up.
LEVIEV "Extraordinary Diamonds"
Hotel Carlton - Cannes
French Riviera Security
Well it was not difficult to see where you could steel some diamonds if you were in that business... The story continues, analyze coming up.
LEVIEV "Extraordinary Diamonds"
Hotel Carlton - Cannes
#917
04-02-2014, 06:37 AM
Security Analysis
Diamond robbery of the century in France
Intercontinental Carlton Cannes hotel
Euro-based Ixxx is an Elite Unit - a global security contractor mostly operating in High Risk regions of the world, providing expert protection for Heads of State and Diplomats. Particularly within Central America, but also VIP security in Spain and of course the French Riviera.The highly experienced staff provide world-class security to the globes most high profile individuals and physical protection just about anywhere in the world.
Colonel xx is a security expert and celebrity bodyguard, with more than 20 years of experience. Here he has made a small security analysis of the famous robbery at the Intercontinental Carlton Hotel in Cannes:
Who was behind it?
My thought directly after were these, later more info appeared:
1. Despite all the security defects, I don't believe the single gunman was really operating alone. His timing was too perfect, the escape out of the window too quick, and the prospect of moving such an easily recognizable product too overwhelming. The speed and precision with which the thief executed the operation indicates that someone had meticulously "cased" the hotel and the exhibition room.
And once he was on the run, the thief had to have somewhere to go.
A. He needed transportation.
B. Change of clothes.
C. A safe house.
All of the above requires some assistance. I am sure he did no work alone.
2. That means we were maybe getting directly into theories about a link to the Pink Panthers. But the high-profile location of the crime was a strange choice for the Panthers in my opinion, because they like to control the number of moving variables they are dealing with in order to minimize the risk of something going wrong. ( this I know a thing or two about myself ) The Carlton could have potentially presented a big number of employees and guests, and a good deal of chaos. Meanwhile a normal robbery in a jewelry store offers a smaller, more contained space, with only a few threats.
I totally sure that the Panthers would have done thoroughly preparation and recon first. The level of surveillance they are accustomed to conducting wouldn't have been so easy on Cannes busy Promenade de La Croisette. It is high profile and It is difficult to stake out there.
3. The low level of security may have reflected the criminals connection to someone working inside the hotel in some capacity. I think it's more likely they got information from the inside. You can not trust these French hotel employees working in places like this. And after the scandal with the shop security described earlier in this thread I wonder if the Arabic "boys from bad area" security had a part in this? You don't hire security from the street. A bad face combined with some night club bouncer experience does not make you even remotely qualified for a job like this.
A. But the timing, the unlocked door, and the speed of the getaway.... all point to this. In an statement to the press, the Carlton said that neither its employees or guests were implicated in the incident, and it is cooperating fully with authorities. I must laugh. They are so full of it.... and blind.
4. Another theory: Nor the crime or the criminal was particularly sophisticated. I think it's just as possible that a couple of local gangsters came up with the idea. All they had to do is this and that, and then they were in. It could have been a regular garden-variety thug. You just need some luck from someone who is prepared to point a pistol at you, it is not that difficult.
5. But even IF local criminals carried out the job, I think that the Pink Panthers were likely still operating in the background because only they would have the necessary resources to successfully sell such identifiable jewels on the black markets. Only their closed network has the partners to cut or polish large diamonds. Leviev diamonds were so big and of such rare clarity and color that they would be incredibly difficult to move. It is not the kind of thing you could sell without alarms ringing. It is either gotta be recut or you gotta get somebody to give you a false grading report." Not many small criminal networks or locals would have the capital necessary for that kind of forgery.
The LIST of mistakes:
1. Something was totally wrong at the Carlton. The security conditions at this particular event was ridiculously insecure, painfully inadequate and as I mentioned before....there was actually NO security!
2. The event was held at street level.
3. The terrace doors were supposed to be locked, they were open.
4. The robber was not confronted with a particularly intimidating scenario.
5. Only three unarmed private security guards.... the threat of one single firearm was evidently enough to hold them off...
6. No one pursued him.
7. All it took was some brute force and about 60 seconds.
8. The event's organizers should have been prepared for an attempted breach.
9. Jewelers with a very, very smaller risk and value have to install an perfect alarm system, CCTV, unbreakable laminated glass, locked doors, guards etc. to get insurance! In this case there was no real security and it was insured by Lloyd's of London and partners.... I just can't believe it. I hope somebody will learn a lesson (do your hear me know?) and stop crying about the cost of REAL security.
10. The big marketing of the event also seemed a bit out of place. Large pink banners on the front of the hotel advertised the valuable Leviev "Extraordinary Diamonds" and the month-long exhibition.
11. Local Police was not notified about the exhibition, even with such a high value display.
12. Yet another mistake...The security operation at the Carlton did not resemble anything like what should have been. Did they not learn anything? Especially AFTER these recent robberies:
A. A few months earlier, during the course of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013, thieves outmaneuvered 80 security guards at the nearby Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes to steel a single 2.4 million EURO De Grisogono necklace.
B. A week before that, cat burglars broke into the Novotel hotel room of an employee of the Swiss jewel and watch maker Chopard and wrenched a safe containing around 1 million EURO worth of jewelry out of the wall.
The LIST of what should have been done:
1. A professional Security Contractor with ex government employees. Impossible to bribe.
2. Three security agents are far from enough in order to protect so much values. How many exactly is confidential. Potential threats are not supposed to know HOW many we actually are and nor do we share this kind of info with hotel employees and other staff. We trust nobody.
3. "Private security guards are prohibited from carrying weapons in France." WRONG! Special authorizations can be granted when high-value assets are at stake.
4. I know the Carlton Hotel "quite well". At minimum the event should have been held in an upstairs room, with security checking in registered guests at the door. In the Press it was suggested that the robber made his getaway through a side door. But I can reveal that he climbed through a window, jumped the around 1.5 m down to the street, and fled on foot. Come on.... this is ABC of security.
5. Using a central command that oversees several perimeters, including undercover guards monitoring for getaway vehicles or other suspicious activity outside the building.
6. Detect what is going to happen before it happens, and interrupt it there. The robbers are not looking to get into a shootout far away from their target. Like when we protect our clients, keep potential threats at distance.
7. Every access point should be guarded, and guests should only be able to reach the "outer ring" of an event before they come face to face with security personnel. Checkpoints can also be covered as champagne registrations and the like so that the event doesn't sacrifice the aesthetic.
A. Security would have immediately marked a guy turning around outside an entrance as a threat, approached him casually, offered help and told him that he was in a restricted area.
B. But even IF a more organized criminals getting past the initial layers of security and makes it to the room holding the jewels, the thieves can still be delayed by a secure holding case. The jewels should be placed in a show case with unbreakable laminated glass and electronic locks with time delay for opening. If cracking the electronic code or breaking into the case takes more than a few minutes, the thieves will usually abandon the operation.
C. The most secure cases are built to resist the force of hammers, sledgehammers, crowbars, and even guns. If such show cases are used, the only dangerous time is the distance between a vault and the show cases. This distance must be as short as possible and, the jewels must be accompanied by armed guards. In the case of the Carlton, the jewels were lying ready, and the guards were unarmed. If the cases are ever compromised or the thief happens to enter at exactly the right time, as he did at the Carlton, the outer perimeters should be able to halt the thief's progress. A Team Leader should know where each security guard is. They should immediately know there is a robbery in place and should have a plan to interrupt it. If he gets in, he is not getting out.
8. I am not selling diamonds, but I think I understand how to reach potential buyers. It should be limited to the trade and not open to the public. Given the extraordinary price of the pieces, organizers should have only enlisted trustworthy, local jewelers to invite clientele capable of buying them. To do marketing that way is really reckless. You don't market that many carat diamonds with HUGE pink banners on the outside of a hotel. I have never seen or heard about that before....
9. As mentioned before the police was NOT notified. It is VERY important with strong coordination with local authorities and we always do that. They were not even aware of the Carlton exhibition. It would have been especially beneficial in this case. If the police knew there was so many million EUROS of diamonds, I am sure they would have posted a patrol car outside. They could then have responded to calls over a radio, and stopped the thief as he hit the sidewalk.
I do however understand quite well why they hesitate to contact the reluctant, difficult, negative French police. They do not like private security companies to "tell them" anything. No matter the company's employees are ex government agents with a lot more experience, better training, better equipment and higher grade than them. But if you have been in the business for a while, then you have all ready established your name ( meaning do not **** with us ) and professionalism. And you will know to contact the right department. In this case I would have contacted the Mayors office. The Mayor in Cannes is obviously not interested in any more robberies and he would order the police to cooperate 110%. This would provide us with not only one patrol car, but several patrol cars and armed officers in place. And they would technically be under my command now. But these small local amateur companies does not know how to go about real security business.....
Ixxx
Diamond robbery of the century in France
Intercontinental Carlton Cannes hotel
Euro-based Ixxx is an Elite Unit - a global security contractor mostly operating in High Risk regions of the world, providing expert protection for Heads of State and Diplomats. Particularly within Central America, but also VIP security in Spain and of course the French Riviera.The highly experienced staff provide world-class security to the globes most high profile individuals and physical protection just about anywhere in the world.
Colonel xx is a security expert and celebrity bodyguard, with more than 20 years of experience. Here he has made a small security analysis of the famous robbery at the Intercontinental Carlton Hotel in Cannes:
Who was behind it?
My thought directly after were these, later more info appeared:
1. Despite all the security defects, I don't believe the single gunman was really operating alone. His timing was too perfect, the escape out of the window too quick, and the prospect of moving such an easily recognizable product too overwhelming. The speed and precision with which the thief executed the operation indicates that someone had meticulously "cased" the hotel and the exhibition room.
And once he was on the run, the thief had to have somewhere to go.
A. He needed transportation.
B. Change of clothes.
C. A safe house.
All of the above requires some assistance. I am sure he did no work alone.
2. That means we were maybe getting directly into theories about a link to the Pink Panthers. But the high-profile location of the crime was a strange choice for the Panthers in my opinion, because they like to control the number of moving variables they are dealing with in order to minimize the risk of something going wrong. ( this I know a thing or two about myself ) The Carlton could have potentially presented a big number of employees and guests, and a good deal of chaos. Meanwhile a normal robbery in a jewelry store offers a smaller, more contained space, with only a few threats.
I totally sure that the Panthers would have done thoroughly preparation and recon first. The level of surveillance they are accustomed to conducting wouldn't have been so easy on Cannes busy Promenade de La Croisette. It is high profile and It is difficult to stake out there.
3. The low level of security may have reflected the criminals connection to someone working inside the hotel in some capacity. I think it's more likely they got information from the inside. You can not trust these French hotel employees working in places like this. And after the scandal with the shop security described earlier in this thread I wonder if the Arabic "boys from bad area" security had a part in this? You don't hire security from the street. A bad face combined with some night club bouncer experience does not make you even remotely qualified for a job like this.
A. But the timing, the unlocked door, and the speed of the getaway.... all point to this. In an statement to the press, the Carlton said that neither its employees or guests were implicated in the incident, and it is cooperating fully with authorities. I must laugh. They are so full of it.... and blind.
4. Another theory: Nor the crime or the criminal was particularly sophisticated. I think it's just as possible that a couple of local gangsters came up with the idea. All they had to do is this and that, and then they were in. It could have been a regular garden-variety thug. You just need some luck from someone who is prepared to point a pistol at you, it is not that difficult.
5. But even IF local criminals carried out the job, I think that the Pink Panthers were likely still operating in the background because only they would have the necessary resources to successfully sell such identifiable jewels on the black markets. Only their closed network has the partners to cut or polish large diamonds. Leviev diamonds were so big and of such rare clarity and color that they would be incredibly difficult to move. It is not the kind of thing you could sell without alarms ringing. It is either gotta be recut or you gotta get somebody to give you a false grading report." Not many small criminal networks or locals would have the capital necessary for that kind of forgery.
The LIST of mistakes:
1. Something was totally wrong at the Carlton. The security conditions at this particular event was ridiculously insecure, painfully inadequate and as I mentioned before....there was actually NO security!
2. The event was held at street level.
3. The terrace doors were supposed to be locked, they were open.
4. The robber was not confronted with a particularly intimidating scenario.
5. Only three unarmed private security guards.... the threat of one single firearm was evidently enough to hold them off...
6. No one pursued him.
7. All it took was some brute force and about 60 seconds.
8. The event's organizers should have been prepared for an attempted breach.
9. Jewelers with a very, very smaller risk and value have to install an perfect alarm system, CCTV, unbreakable laminated glass, locked doors, guards etc. to get insurance! In this case there was no real security and it was insured by Lloyd's of London and partners.... I just can't believe it. I hope somebody will learn a lesson (do your hear me know?) and stop crying about the cost of REAL security.
10. The big marketing of the event also seemed a bit out of place. Large pink banners on the front of the hotel advertised the valuable Leviev "Extraordinary Diamonds" and the month-long exhibition.
11. Local Police was not notified about the exhibition, even with such a high value display.
12. Yet another mistake...The security operation at the Carlton did not resemble anything like what should have been. Did they not learn anything? Especially AFTER these recent robberies:
A. A few months earlier, during the course of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013, thieves outmaneuvered 80 security guards at the nearby Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes to steel a single 2.4 million EURO De Grisogono necklace.
B. A week before that, cat burglars broke into the Novotel hotel room of an employee of the Swiss jewel and watch maker Chopard and wrenched a safe containing around 1 million EURO worth of jewelry out of the wall.
The LIST of what should have been done:
1. A professional Security Contractor with ex government employees. Impossible to bribe.
2. Three security agents are far from enough in order to protect so much values. How many exactly is confidential. Potential threats are not supposed to know HOW many we actually are and nor do we share this kind of info with hotel employees and other staff. We trust nobody.
3. "Private security guards are prohibited from carrying weapons in France." WRONG! Special authorizations can be granted when high-value assets are at stake.
4. I know the Carlton Hotel "quite well". At minimum the event should have been held in an upstairs room, with security checking in registered guests at the door. In the Press it was suggested that the robber made his getaway through a side door. But I can reveal that he climbed through a window, jumped the around 1.5 m down to the street, and fled on foot. Come on.... this is ABC of security.
5. Using a central command that oversees several perimeters, including undercover guards monitoring for getaway vehicles or other suspicious activity outside the building.
6. Detect what is going to happen before it happens, and interrupt it there. The robbers are not looking to get into a shootout far away from their target. Like when we protect our clients, keep potential threats at distance.
7. Every access point should be guarded, and guests should only be able to reach the "outer ring" of an event before they come face to face with security personnel. Checkpoints can also be covered as champagne registrations and the like so that the event doesn't sacrifice the aesthetic.
A. Security would have immediately marked a guy turning around outside an entrance as a threat, approached him casually, offered help and told him that he was in a restricted area.
B. But even IF a more organized criminals getting past the initial layers of security and makes it to the room holding the jewels, the thieves can still be delayed by a secure holding case. The jewels should be placed in a show case with unbreakable laminated glass and electronic locks with time delay for opening. If cracking the electronic code or breaking into the case takes more than a few minutes, the thieves will usually abandon the operation.
C. The most secure cases are built to resist the force of hammers, sledgehammers, crowbars, and even guns. If such show cases are used, the only dangerous time is the distance between a vault and the show cases. This distance must be as short as possible and, the jewels must be accompanied by armed guards. In the case of the Carlton, the jewels were lying ready, and the guards were unarmed. If the cases are ever compromised or the thief happens to enter at exactly the right time, as he did at the Carlton, the outer perimeters should be able to halt the thief's progress. A Team Leader should know where each security guard is. They should immediately know there is a robbery in place and should have a plan to interrupt it. If he gets in, he is not getting out.
8. I am not selling diamonds, but I think I understand how to reach potential buyers. It should be limited to the trade and not open to the public. Given the extraordinary price of the pieces, organizers should have only enlisted trustworthy, local jewelers to invite clientele capable of buying them. To do marketing that way is really reckless. You don't market that many carat diamonds with HUGE pink banners on the outside of a hotel. I have never seen or heard about that before....
9. As mentioned before the police was NOT notified. It is VERY important with strong coordination with local authorities and we always do that. They were not even aware of the Carlton exhibition. It would have been especially beneficial in this case. If the police knew there was so many million EUROS of diamonds, I am sure they would have posted a patrol car outside. They could then have responded to calls over a radio, and stopped the thief as he hit the sidewalk.
I do however understand quite well why they hesitate to contact the reluctant, difficult, negative French police. They do not like private security companies to "tell them" anything. No matter the company's employees are ex government agents with a lot more experience, better training, better equipment and higher grade than them. But if you have been in the business for a while, then you have all ready established your name ( meaning do not **** with us ) and professionalism. And you will know to contact the right department. In this case I would have contacted the Mayors office. The Mayor in Cannes is obviously not interested in any more robberies and he would order the police to cooperate 110%. This would provide us with not only one patrol car, but several patrol cars and armed officers in place. And they would technically be under my command now. But these small local amateur companies does not know how to go about real security business.....
Ixxx
#918
04-02-2014, 08:43 AM
Security Analysis
Diamond robbery of the century in France
Intercontinental Carlton Cannes hotel
Euro-based Ixxx is an Elite Unit - a global security contractor mostly operating in High Risk regions of the world, providing expert protection for Heads of State and Diplomats. Particularly within Central America, but also VIP security in Spain and of course the French Riviera.The highly experienced staff provide world-class security to the globes most high profile individuals and physical protection just about anywhere in the world.
Colonel xx is a security expert and celebrity bodyguard, with more than 20 years of experience. Here he has made a small security analysis of the famous robbery at the Intercontinental Carlton Hotel in Cannes:
Who was behind it?
My thought directly after were these, later more info appeared:
1. Despite all the security defects, I don't believe the single gunman was really operating alone. His timing was too perfect, the escape out of the window too quick, and the prospect of moving such an easily recognizable product too overwhelming. The speed and precision with which the thief executed the operation indicates that someone had meticulously "cased" the hotel and the exhibition room.
And once he was on the run, the thief had to have somewhere to go.
A. He needed transportation.
B. Change of clothes.
C. A safe house.
All of the above requires some assistance. I am sure he did no work alone.
2. That means we were maybe getting directly into theories about a link to the Pink Panthers. But the high-profile location of the crime was a strange choice for the Panthers in my opinion, because they like to control the number of moving variables they are dealing with in order to minimize the risk of something going wrong. ( this I know a thing or two about myself ) The Carlton could have potentially presented a big number of employees and guests, and a good deal of chaos. Meanwhile a normal robbery in a jewelry store offers a smaller, more contained space, with only a few threats.
I totally sure that the Panthers would have done thoroughly preparation and recon first. The level of surveillance they are accustomed to conducting wouldn't have been so easy on Cannes busy Promenade de La Croisette. It is high profile and It is difficult to stake out there.
3. The low level of security may have reflected the criminals connection to someone working inside the hotel in some capacity. I think it's more likely they got information from the inside. You can not trust these French hotel employees working in places like this. And after the scandal with the shop security described earlier in this thread I wonder if the Arabic "boys from bad area" security had a part in this? You don't hire security from the street. A bad face combined with some night club bouncer experience does not make you even remotely qualified for a job like this.
A. But the timing, the unlocked door, and the speed of the getaway.... all point to this. In an statement to the press, the Carlton said that neither its employees or guests were implicated in the incident, and it is cooperating fully with authorities. I must laugh. They are so full of it.... and blind.
4. Another theory: Nor the crime or the criminal was particularly sophisticated. I think it's just as possible that a couple of local gangsters came up with the idea. All they had to do is this and that, and then they were in. It could have been a regular garden-variety thug. You just need some luck from someone who is prepared to point a pistol at you, it is not that difficult.
5. But even IF local criminals carried out the job, I think that the Pink Panthers were likely still operating in the background because only they would have the necessary resources to successfully sell such identifiable jewels on the black markets. Only their closed network has the partners to cut or polish large diamonds. Leviev diamonds were so big and of such rare clarity and color that they would be incredibly difficult to move. It is not the kind of thing you could sell without alarms ringing. It is either gotta be recut or you gotta get somebody to give you a false grading report." Not many small criminal networks or locals would have the capital necessary for that kind of forgery.
The LIST of mistakes:
1. Something was totally wrong at the Carlton. The security conditions at this particular event was ridiculously insecure, painfully inadequate and as I mentioned before....there was actually NO security!
2. The event was held at street level.
3. The terrace doors were supposed to be locked, they were open.
4. The robber was not confronted with a particularly intimidating scenario.
5. Only three unarmed private security guards.... the threat of one single firearm was evidently enough to hold them off...
6. No one pursued him.
7. All it took was some brute force and about 60 seconds.
8. The event's organizers should have been prepared for an attempted breach.
9. Jewelers with a very, very smaller risk and value have to install an perfect alarm system, CCTV, unbreakable laminated glass, locked doors, guards etc. to get insurance! In this case there was no real security and it was insured by Lloyd's of London and partners.... I just can't believe it. I hope somebody will learn a lesson (do your hear me know?) and stop crying about the cost of REAL security.
10. The big marketing of the event also seemed a bit out of place. Large pink banners on the front of the hotel advertised the valuable Leviev "Extraordinary Diamonds" and the month-long exhibition.
11. Local Police was not notified about the exhibition, even with such a high value display.
12. Yet another mistake...The security operation at the Carlton did not resemble anything like what should have been. Did they not learn anything? Especially AFTER these recent robberies:
A. A few months earlier, during the course of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013, thieves outmaneuvered 80 security guards at the nearby Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes to steel a single 2.4 million EURO De Grisogono necklace.
B. A week before that, cat burglars broke into the Novotel hotel room of an employee of the Swiss jewel and watch maker Chopard and wrenched a safe containing around 1 million EURO worth of jewelry out of the wall.
The LIST of what should have been done:
1. A professional Security Contractor with ex government employees. Impossible to bribe.
2. Three security agents are far from enough in order to protect so much values. How many exactly is confidential. Potential threats are not supposed to know HOW many we actually are and nor do we share this kind of info with hotel employees and other staff. We trust nobody.
3. "Private security guards are prohibited from carrying weapons in France." WRONG! Special authorizations can be granted when high-value assets are at stake.
4. I know the Carlton Hotel "quite well". At minimum the event should have been held in an upstairs room, with security checking in registered guests at the door. In the Press it was suggested that the robber made his getaway through a side door. But I can reveal that he climbed through a window, jumped the around 1.5 m down to the street, and fled on foot. Come on.... this is ABC of security.
5. Using a central command that oversees several perimeters, including undercover guards monitoring for getaway vehicles or other suspicious activity outside the building.
6. Detect what is going to happen before it happens, and interrupt it there. The robbers are not looking to get into a shootout far away from their target. Like when we protect our clients, keep potential threats at distance.
7. Every access point should be guarded, and guests should only be able to reach the "outer ring" of an event before they come face to face with security personnel. Checkpoints can also be covered as champagne registrations and the like so that the event doesn't sacrifice the aesthetic.
A. Security would have immediately marked a guy turning around outside an entrance as a threat, approached him casually, offered help and told him that he was in a restricted area.
B. But even IF a more organized criminals getting past the initial layers of security and makes it to the room holding the jewels, the thieves can still be delayed by a secure holding case. The jewels should be placed in a show case with unbreakable laminated glass and electronic locks with time delay for opening. If cracking the electronic code or breaking into the case takes more than a few minutes, the thieves will usually abandon the operation.
C. The most secure cases are built to resist the force of hammers, sledgehammers, crowbars, and even guns. If such show cases are used, the only dangerous time is the distance between a vault and the show cases. This distance must be as short as possible and, the jewels must be accompanied by armed guards. In the case of the Carlton, the jewels were lying ready, and the guards were unarmed. If the cases are ever compromised or the thief happens to enter at exactly the right time, as he did at the Carlton, the outer perimeters should be able to halt the thief's progress. A Team Leader should know where each security guard is. They should immediately know there is a robbery in place and should have a plan to interrupt it. If he gets in, he is not getting out.
8. I am not selling diamonds, but I think I understand how to reach potential buyers. It should be limited to the trade and not open to the public. Given the extraordinary price of the pieces, organizers should have only enlisted trustworthy, local jewelers to invite clientele capable of buying them. To do marketing that way is really reckless. You don't market that many carat diamonds with HUGE pink banners on the outside of a hotel. I have never seen or heard about that before....
9. As mentioned before the police was NOT notified. It is VERY important with strong coordination with local authorities and we always do that. They were not even aware of the Carlton exhibition. It would have been especially beneficial in this case. If the police knew there was so many million EUROS of diamonds, I am sure they would have posted a patrol car outside. They could then have responded to calls over a radio, and stopped the thief as he hit the sidewalk.
I do however understand quite well why they hesitate to contact the reluctant, difficult, negative French police. They do not like private security companies to "tell them" anything. No matter the company's employees are ex government agents with a lot more experience, better training, better equipment and higher grade than them. But if you have been in the business for a while, then you have all ready established your name ( meaning do not **** with us ) and professionalism. And you will know to contact the right department. In this case I would have contacted the Mayors office. The Mayor in Cannes is obviously not interested in any more robberies and he would order the police to cooperate 110%. This would provide us with not only one patrol car, but several patrol cars and armed officers in place. And they would technically be under my command now. But these small local amateur companies does not know how to go about real security business.....
Ixxx
Diamond robbery of the century in France
Intercontinental Carlton Cannes hotel
Euro-based Ixxx is an Elite Unit - a global security contractor mostly operating in High Risk regions of the world, providing expert protection for Heads of State and Diplomats. Particularly within Central America, but also VIP security in Spain and of course the French Riviera.The highly experienced staff provide world-class security to the globes most high profile individuals and physical protection just about anywhere in the world.
Colonel xx is a security expert and celebrity bodyguard, with more than 20 years of experience. Here he has made a small security analysis of the famous robbery at the Intercontinental Carlton Hotel in Cannes:
Who was behind it?
My thought directly after were these, later more info appeared:
1. Despite all the security defects, I don't believe the single gunman was really operating alone. His timing was too perfect, the escape out of the window too quick, and the prospect of moving such an easily recognizable product too overwhelming. The speed and precision with which the thief executed the operation indicates that someone had meticulously "cased" the hotel and the exhibition room.
And once he was on the run, the thief had to have somewhere to go.
A. He needed transportation.
B. Change of clothes.
C. A safe house.
All of the above requires some assistance. I am sure he did no work alone.
2. That means we were maybe getting directly into theories about a link to the Pink Panthers. But the high-profile location of the crime was a strange choice for the Panthers in my opinion, because they like to control the number of moving variables they are dealing with in order to minimize the risk of something going wrong. ( this I know a thing or two about myself ) The Carlton could have potentially presented a big number of employees and guests, and a good deal of chaos. Meanwhile a normal robbery in a jewelry store offers a smaller, more contained space, with only a few threats.
I totally sure that the Panthers would have done thoroughly preparation and recon first. The level of surveillance they are accustomed to conducting wouldn't have been so easy on Cannes busy Promenade de La Croisette. It is high profile and It is difficult to stake out there.
3. The low level of security may have reflected the criminals connection to someone working inside the hotel in some capacity. I think it's more likely they got information from the inside. You can not trust these French hotel employees working in places like this. And after the scandal with the shop security described earlier in this thread I wonder if the Arabic "boys from bad area" security had a part in this? You don't hire security from the street. A bad face combined with some night club bouncer experience does not make you even remotely qualified for a job like this.
A. But the timing, the unlocked door, and the speed of the getaway.... all point to this. In an statement to the press, the Carlton said that neither its employees or guests were implicated in the incident, and it is cooperating fully with authorities. I must laugh. They are so full of it.... and blind.
4. Another theory: Nor the crime or the criminal was particularly sophisticated. I think it's just as possible that a couple of local gangsters came up with the idea. All they had to do is this and that, and then they were in. It could have been a regular garden-variety thug. You just need some luck from someone who is prepared to point a pistol at you, it is not that difficult.
5. But even IF local criminals carried out the job, I think that the Pink Panthers were likely still operating in the background because only they would have the necessary resources to successfully sell such identifiable jewels on the black markets. Only their closed network has the partners to cut or polish large diamonds. Leviev diamonds were so big and of such rare clarity and color that they would be incredibly difficult to move. It is not the kind of thing you could sell without alarms ringing. It is either gotta be recut or you gotta get somebody to give you a false grading report." Not many small criminal networks or locals would have the capital necessary for that kind of forgery.
The LIST of mistakes:
1. Something was totally wrong at the Carlton. The security conditions at this particular event was ridiculously insecure, painfully inadequate and as I mentioned before....there was actually NO security!
2. The event was held at street level.
3. The terrace doors were supposed to be locked, they were open.
4. The robber was not confronted with a particularly intimidating scenario.
5. Only three unarmed private security guards.... the threat of one single firearm was evidently enough to hold them off...
6. No one pursued him.
7. All it took was some brute force and about 60 seconds.
8. The event's organizers should have been prepared for an attempted breach.
9. Jewelers with a very, very smaller risk and value have to install an perfect alarm system, CCTV, unbreakable laminated glass, locked doors, guards etc. to get insurance! In this case there was no real security and it was insured by Lloyd's of London and partners.... I just can't believe it. I hope somebody will learn a lesson (do your hear me know?) and stop crying about the cost of REAL security.
10. The big marketing of the event also seemed a bit out of place. Large pink banners on the front of the hotel advertised the valuable Leviev "Extraordinary Diamonds" and the month-long exhibition.
11. Local Police was not notified about the exhibition, even with such a high value display.
12. Yet another mistake...The security operation at the Carlton did not resemble anything like what should have been. Did they not learn anything? Especially AFTER these recent robberies:
A. A few months earlier, during the course of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013, thieves outmaneuvered 80 security guards at the nearby Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes to steel a single 2.4 million EURO De Grisogono necklace.
B. A week before that, cat burglars broke into the Novotel hotel room of an employee of the Swiss jewel and watch maker Chopard and wrenched a safe containing around 1 million EURO worth of jewelry out of the wall.
The LIST of what should have been done:
1. A professional Security Contractor with ex government employees. Impossible to bribe.
2. Three security agents are far from enough in order to protect so much values. How many exactly is confidential. Potential threats are not supposed to know HOW many we actually are and nor do we share this kind of info with hotel employees and other staff. We trust nobody.
3. "Private security guards are prohibited from carrying weapons in France." WRONG! Special authorizations can be granted when high-value assets are at stake.
4. I know the Carlton Hotel "quite well". At minimum the event should have been held in an upstairs room, with security checking in registered guests at the door. In the Press it was suggested that the robber made his getaway through a side door. But I can reveal that he climbed through a window, jumped the around 1.5 m down to the street, and fled on foot. Come on.... this is ABC of security.
5. Using a central command that oversees several perimeters, including undercover guards monitoring for getaway vehicles or other suspicious activity outside the building.
6. Detect what is going to happen before it happens, and interrupt it there. The robbers are not looking to get into a shootout far away from their target. Like when we protect our clients, keep potential threats at distance.
7. Every access point should be guarded, and guests should only be able to reach the "outer ring" of an event before they come face to face with security personnel. Checkpoints can also be covered as champagne registrations and the like so that the event doesn't sacrifice the aesthetic.
A. Security would have immediately marked a guy turning around outside an entrance as a threat, approached him casually, offered help and told him that he was in a restricted area.
B. But even IF a more organized criminals getting past the initial layers of security and makes it to the room holding the jewels, the thieves can still be delayed by a secure holding case. The jewels should be placed in a show case with unbreakable laminated glass and electronic locks with time delay for opening. If cracking the electronic code or breaking into the case takes more than a few minutes, the thieves will usually abandon the operation.
C. The most secure cases are built to resist the force of hammers, sledgehammers, crowbars, and even guns. If such show cases are used, the only dangerous time is the distance between a vault and the show cases. This distance must be as short as possible and, the jewels must be accompanied by armed guards. In the case of the Carlton, the jewels were lying ready, and the guards were unarmed. If the cases are ever compromised or the thief happens to enter at exactly the right time, as he did at the Carlton, the outer perimeters should be able to halt the thief's progress. A Team Leader should know where each security guard is. They should immediately know there is a robbery in place and should have a plan to interrupt it. If he gets in, he is not getting out.
8. I am not selling diamonds, but I think I understand how to reach potential buyers. It should be limited to the trade and not open to the public. Given the extraordinary price of the pieces, organizers should have only enlisted trustworthy, local jewelers to invite clientele capable of buying them. To do marketing that way is really reckless. You don't market that many carat diamonds with HUGE pink banners on the outside of a hotel. I have never seen or heard about that before....
9. As mentioned before the police was NOT notified. It is VERY important with strong coordination with local authorities and we always do that. They were not even aware of the Carlton exhibition. It would have been especially beneficial in this case. If the police knew there was so many million EUROS of diamonds, I am sure they would have posted a patrol car outside. They could then have responded to calls over a radio, and stopped the thief as he hit the sidewalk.
I do however understand quite well why they hesitate to contact the reluctant, difficult, negative French police. They do not like private security companies to "tell them" anything. No matter the company's employees are ex government agents with a lot more experience, better training, better equipment and higher grade than them. But if you have been in the business for a while, then you have all ready established your name ( meaning do not **** with us ) and professionalism. And you will know to contact the right department. In this case I would have contacted the Mayors office. The Mayor in Cannes is obviously not interested in any more robberies and he would order the police to cooperate 110%. This would provide us with not only one patrol car, but several patrol cars and armed officers in place. And they would technically be under my command now. But these small local amateur companies does not know how to go about real security business.....
Ixxx
#919
08-30-2014, 07:10 AM
Monaco NEWS
UPDATE spring / summer 2014 - 1
The French Rivera. The truth.
Here in this thread you have all seen the nice automotive exotics & super yachts in Monaco, pop stars shopping in Nice, the beautiful supermodels - female movie stars at the Film Festival in Cannes and the azure blue water at the surrounding beaches of St.-Tropez. But under the surface, everything is quite different from what it appears to be....
The French Riviera is definitively not what it used to be. Follow this series, to learn about what is really going on....It's called ...."The French Rivera. The truth."
It has been a great.... but very busy summer...... Here are some of the headliners from down here.
Only few months after Michel Pastor's death:
https://teamspeed.com/forums/travel-...thread-82.html
First a story that turns in to a real life soap opera.....
Part 1
Prominent Monaco figure shot in Nice
Police are looking for two suspects following the shooting of Helene Pastor, member of Monaco’s prestigious Pastor family. The 77-year-old and her driver were targeted at the L’Archet hospital in Nice yesterday evening, a violent attack which has sent shockwaves throughout the French Riviera and Monaco.
The real estate mogul from Monaco, sister of the late AS Monaco president Michel Pastor, and her 64-year-old driver and butler were shot in their car, a Lancia Voyager, on Tuesday 6th May at around 7pm, as they were leaving L’Archet hospital in the west of Nice.
“The victims were taken to the emergency services of Saint Roch hospital [in the centre of Nice], and are currently in observation,” Commander Bernard Mascarelli of the Police Judiciair said. Both remain in a critical but stable condition.
Nice’s criminal investigations department, the Police Judiciaire (PJ), has launched a full scale investigation and is on the lookout for the shooter of Helene Pastor and her driver, as well as a possible accomplice.
“We’ve deployed all of our capabilities; the forensic police went on the scene to take samples and an investigation is underway,” said Commander Mascarelli, adding that the role of the two suspects was unclear at the moment.
Immediately after the shooting, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi announced publicly that, “All the city’s means are at the investigators’ disposal and the footage of nearby security cameras was given to the Police Judiciaire.”
It is believed that Helene Pastor was visiting her 47-year-old son, Gildo Pallanca Pastor, entrepreneur and CEO of Venturi Automobiles, who is being treated at L’Archet for a stroke.
The Prince’s Palace has issued a statement, expressing Prince Albert’s support for the victims and their families.
"HSH Prince expresses his strong emotion in learning about the aggression of Helene Pallanca Pastor and her driver, in Nice. He offers them as well as their families, his utmost support. "
Part 2
Police still hunting for Helene Pastor's shooter
Monaco dynasty heiress Helene Pastor remains in a critical condition in hospital following a daring gun attack in Nice on Tuesday evening. Two suspects are still on the loose, as investigators scour surveillance camera footage and analyse witness reports to try and piece together circumstances surrounding the shocking daylight attack.
The ambush happened as Helene Pastor was being driven out of the car park of the l’Archet hospital in Nice at around 7pm after visiting her son Gildo Pallanco Pastor, head of the Venturi electric car company, who is recovering from a stroke.
According to witness reports, a gunman ran up to her black Lancia Voyager as it waited to join traffic on the road, and - possibly using a pump-action shotgun - opened fire on the front passenger side where Mrs Pastor was sitting. The 77-year-old was reportedly hit in the jaw. The attacker then targeted her chauffeur, shooting him in the chest and abdomen. He has been identified as 64-year-old Mohamed Darwich. Neither of the victims is able to assist police with their investigation at this stage.
Instead, police are relying on CCTV footage and witness accounts, which are remarkably detailed given the fact the attack occurred in broad daylight outside a heavily surveillanced hospital. It is believed the shooter fled the scene and joined an accomplice before the pair drove off in a car.
Speculation abounds as to the motive of the attack. There were early suggestions that the driver was the real target, but police were quick to rule that out. Meanwhile, a police source told local daily Nice Matin, “Frankly, if this was a professional hit, which has not been proven, then it was not a good assassin… he shot two people without killing them.”
Helene Pastor is the granddaughter of John-Baptiste Pastor, an Italian stonemason who arrived in Monaco in 1880 and had the foresight to buy up prime beachfront land, build blocks of apartments and rent them out, rather than sell them. While the family’s fortune is a tightly kept secret in the Principality, it has been reported that the Pastors own residential and commercial properties with a total floor space estimated at 500,000 square metres, worth around 19 billion euros.
Possible links between the Italian mafia and the real estate heiress have been made in the local media, but everything remains speculation at this stage.
Part 3
Driver dies from shooting injuries
Mohamed Darwich, driver and butler of Helene Pastor, has died from the injuries he sustained during a shooting in Nice last week. Helene Pastor, who was also critically injured in the attack, remains in a serious but stable condition, as police continue to hunt for the two suspects.
64-year-old Mohamed Darwich, who had been working for Helene Pastor for about 15 years according to AFP, died on Saturday 10th May at 12.30pm after four days in Saint Roch hospital in Nice.
A spokesperson for Nice’s hospital centre said, “Mrs Pastor is stable for the moment, but she remains in intensive care.”
Following Darwich's death, Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi released a statement, saying, “It’s with great sadness that I learned about [Mohamed Darwich]’s death. I trust thePolice Judiciaire and justice to solve the terrible case as soon as possible, particularly through Nice’s security footage which was made available to them.”
Helene Pastor, a prominent figure in Monaco, and Darwich, her driver, were shot with what is believed to be a sawn-off shotgun at about 7pm on Tuesday 6th upon leaving L’Archet hospital, where Mrs Pastor was visiting her son Gildo Pallanca Pastor.
The victims suffered several critical injuries, with wounds in the thorax, abdomen, neck and face, and were transported to the emergency services at Saint Roch hospital where they were simultaneously operated on by five teams of expert surgeons, according to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Nice’s Police Judiciaire is still looking for two suspects who were brazen enough to undertake the attack unmasked in front of a dozen witnesses and security cameras, according to AFP.
Part 4
Helene Pastor's health improves
Helene Pastor has awakened from a 10-day coma following a shooting in Nice which killed her driver. Meanwhile, police in Marseille have arrested a man for allegedly trying to extort millions from the Pastor family, claiming to know who was behind the attack.
“The health of Mrs Pastor has improved. She has awakened and her state of consciousness is normal,” Nice hospital centre said in a statement on Friday 16th May. “Her vital functions have stabilised […]. However, her life is still in danger.”
One day earlier, the Police Judiciaire (PJ) in Marseille arrested 43-year-old Jerome Bat, who allegedly contacted the Pastor family asking for between 10 and 30 million euros in exchange for information about the people behind the attack, which took place on 6th May.
“The individual tried to profit from the case’s notoriety. He has no information in any way, shape or form related to the case,” a source close to the investigation said.
Presented in front of Marseille’s criminal court, prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon requested he remain in custody for fear of a repeat offense, according to Nice Matin. He is scheduled to stand trial for extortion on 13th June.
The shooting, which left Pastor’s driver Mohamed Darwich dead, took place as the two were leaving L’Archet hospital, in the east of Nice, where Helene Pastor was visiting her son Gildo Pallanca Pastor.
The Pastors are a prominent family in Monaco, owning a significant, yet undisclosed, portion of the Principality’s real estate.
Part 5
Hélène Pastor dies from shooting
Prominent Monegasque businesswoman Hélène Pastor has died from her injuries sustained in a shooting in Nice on 6th May, despite earlier signs that the 77-year-old's health was improving. Police are yet to make any arrests in what can now be considered one of the Riviera's most high profile double murder investigations.
After more than two weeks in a critical condition at Saint Roch hospital in Nice, Hélène Pastor died on the morning of Wednesday 21st May at around 6am. The hospital confirmed Pastor’s death but did not provide any further comment.
The information came as a shock to many. Hélène Pastor's condition had been improving and doctors revealed that she had awakened from her coma on 16th May.
The Palace of Monaco today released a statement, saying, “HSH the Prince expresses his deep compassion to the children of Mrs Hélène Pastor-Pallanca at the announcement of her tragic passing."
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi also expressed his condolences. “My thoughts go out to Gildo, Hélène Pastor’s son, as well as all of her relatives. I share their pain and grief. My thoughts also go out to all the Monegasques who were devastated by this tragedy.”
A source close to the investigation said that investigators weren’t able to obtain any relevant information from the victim before she died.
“They saw her, but her health condition didn’t allow for an in-depth questioning,” he said.
Hélène Pastor and her driver Mohamed Darwich were shot on 6th May while exiting L’Archet hospital, where she was visiting her son Gildo Pallanca Pastor, who was being treated for a stroke.
According to witnesses, the killer fired through the window twice with what may have been a sawn-off shotgun, before fleeing with an accomplice.
As the attack occurred several weeks ago, the period of urgency known as the ‘période de flagrance,’ which gave the police extended short term means of investigation, has expired. Judges Christophe Perrueaux and Christine Saunier-Ruellan from Marseille have now been appointed to lead the ‘information judiciaire,’ a longer term investigation which is mandatory for crimes of this nature.
According to a police source, the investigation, based in part on a dozen witness accounts and security footage, is yet to determine whether the shooters were targeting Pastor or her driver Mohamed Darwich, who died on 10th May.
“We’re following a number of leads, “We’re using all the means necessary to assist in the investigation.”
Monaco is now mourning the loss of a key figure in the community. The 77-year-old businesswoman maintained a lower profile than the rest of the family, rarely appearing in public.
The Pastor family maintained the ownership of their constructions, earning their fortune by renting them out as apartments or offices. The empire was divided among Gildo Pastor’s three children Victor (died 2002), Michel (died in February 2014), and Hélène (May 2014). It is now controlled by a fourth Pastor generation, which includes Hélène’s son Gildo - an entrepreneur who owns Venturi Automobiles, among other companies.
The death of Hélène Pastor has added urgency to efforts to solve this case, one which has sent shockwaves throughout Monaco and the French Riviera.
Part 6
Pastor's son-in-law main suspect behind shooting
Wojciech Janowski, the son-in-law of Hélène Pastor, is suspected of ordering the assassination of the billionaire heiress, say French investigators. The two men behind the attack are also believed to have been identified, as efforts to solve Monaco’s most shocking murder case intensifies.
Following the arrests of more than 20 people on Monday 23rd June, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin revealed at a press conference on Tuesday that Hélène Pastor’s daughter, Sylvia, was not necessarily involved in her mother’s murder. She was released from custody a day later.
However, “suspicious movements” were noticed in her husband’s bank accounts.
Investigators say there is also evidence linking Janowski to “middle men” who are believed to have hired the suspects who carried out the deadly attack on 6th May.
“I want to acknowledge the cross-operational work of the municipal police in looking at 113 hours of video extracted from 43 CCTV cameras in the city of Nice,” said Mayor Christian Estrosi.
According to the prosecutor, CCTV footage has been integral in tracking the movements of the two suspects. They are known to have travelled from Marseille to Nice by train and took separate taxis to the Archet Hospital, where Hélène Pastor was visiting her son Gildo. Following the ambush attack, in which the shooter used a sawn-off shotgun, they fled by bus and then negotiated with a taxi driver before taking a 500 euro trip back to Marseille.
The men have been identified as 31-year-old Alhair Hamadi, born in Marseille of Comoros Islands origins, and Samine Said Ahmed, aged 24, born in the Comoros in the Indian Ocean. Both have criminal records.
There is also reportedly DNA evidence linking the suspects to a hotel in Nice.
Who is Wojciech Janowski?
Aside from his wealthy wife, Wojciech Janowski is a prominent figure in Monaco. The 64-year-old was a Polish honorary consul in Monaco - that title was removed by the Polish government once the arrest was revealed - and he has held various management positions in SBM. He often works with the Chamber of Commerce and is the CEO of the nanotechnology company Firmus SAM2 3.
He is also well known for his charitable activities, most notably he was one of two founders of the recently established Monaco Against Autism (MONAA). In 2010, he was awarded the Legion of Honour by the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy for his charitable work.
He is married to 52-year-old Sylvia Pastor, daughter Hélène Pastor and heir to the Pastor fortune.
Part 7
Janowski admits to ordering murder of Hélène Pastor
Wojciech Janowski, the son-in-law of billionaire Hélène Pastor, has admitted to ordering the murder of the wealthy Monaco businesswoman and her chauffeur in May. Faced with suspicious movements on his bank account and incriminating statements by alleged accomplices, it appears Janowski was backed into a corner.
The 64-year-old is the husband of Hélène Pastor's daughter, Sylvia Ratkowski-Pastor. After a number of days in police custody, Janowski confessed to his part in ordering the murder of his mother-in-law as well her chauffeur Mohamed Darwich, to “avoid making it obvious that the heiress was the only target”, reports the AFP.
The former honorary consulate of Poland, who was stripped of his status when news of his arrest broke, has been under arrest since Monday 23rd June.
Janowski's personal trainer, who has not yet been named, is believed to have been the middleman for his employer, allegedly hiring the gunmen who carried out the attack, as well as negotiating the price of the contract - around €140,000, according to RTL.
This morning both men, as well as the two suspected gunmen, were brought from the Auvare police station in Nice to the courts of Marseille, where they will stand before a judge this afternoon.
Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, as well as the interregional director of the Police Judiciaire (PJ) in Marseille, Christian Sainte, and the head of Nice’s branch of the PJ, Philippe Frizon, will hold a press conference at 5pm today to give further details on the developments of the double murder investigation.
Speculation as to a motive revolves largely around the reported reduction in allowance of €500,000 per month which Madame Pastor gave to her children. However, Robin has refused to confirm anything, telling the AFP that “at the moment, it’s too early to think about motives.”
Part 8
Janowski retracts confession
Wojciech Janowski, the man accused of ordering the murder of Monaco billionaire Hélène Pastor, has retracted his confession, says his lawyer. Apparently, the Polish national didn’t understand the French “nuances” used by investigators, despite living in the Principality for almost 30 years.
Appearing before a bail judge on Wednesday 2nd July, Janowski reportedly "recanted his statements made while in custody," said his lawyer Erick Campana. He also "denies having ordered" the killing of 77-year-old Hélène Pastor on 6th May.
As reported by AFP, Janowski, husband of Sylvia Pastor for 28 years, "misunderstood the meaning of the words used by the police,” argued his defense lawyer. “He spoke French, but he did not understand all the nuances of our language."
Late last week, prosecutors revealed that the former honorary consul of Poland had admitted to investigators that he was the "sponsor" of the double murder of his mother-in-law and her driver, 64-year-old Mohammed Darwich, who were both targeted at the l’Archet Hospital in Nice. It was also confirmed that Janowski had confessed that his personal trainer hired the two men who carried out the attack, both of whom have been arrested and charged.
Campana had asked the court to release Janowski and dismiss the statements he made while in custody because he did not have access to a lawyer or interpreter during his 96 hours of interrogation. But the judge did not agree.
"Not surprisingly, he can be kept in custody for a period of one year," said the defence lawyer. “In a year, at the most, the judge will revisit his case."
Wojciech Janowski will remain at the Baumettes prison "in total isolation", according to Campana, who added that his client is in good physical health but "not well at all."
The saga of the Pastor family
UPDATE spring / summer 2014 - 1
The French Rivera. The truth.
Here in this thread you have all seen the nice automotive exotics & super yachts in Monaco, pop stars shopping in Nice, the beautiful supermodels - female movie stars at the Film Festival in Cannes and the azure blue water at the surrounding beaches of St.-Tropez. But under the surface, everything is quite different from what it appears to be....
The French Riviera is definitively not what it used to be. Follow this series, to learn about what is really going on....It's called ...."The French Rivera. The truth."
It has been a great.... but very busy summer...... Here are some of the headliners from down here.
Only few months after Michel Pastor's death:
https://teamspeed.com/forums/travel-...thread-82.html
First a story that turns in to a real life soap opera.....
Part 1
Prominent Monaco figure shot in Nice
Police are looking for two suspects following the shooting of Helene Pastor, member of Monaco’s prestigious Pastor family. The 77-year-old and her driver were targeted at the L’Archet hospital in Nice yesterday evening, a violent attack which has sent shockwaves throughout the French Riviera and Monaco.
The real estate mogul from Monaco, sister of the late AS Monaco president Michel Pastor, and her 64-year-old driver and butler were shot in their car, a Lancia Voyager, on Tuesday 6th May at around 7pm, as they were leaving L’Archet hospital in the west of Nice.
“The victims were taken to the emergency services of Saint Roch hospital [in the centre of Nice], and are currently in observation,” Commander Bernard Mascarelli of the Police Judiciair said. Both remain in a critical but stable condition.
Nice’s criminal investigations department, the Police Judiciaire (PJ), has launched a full scale investigation and is on the lookout for the shooter of Helene Pastor and her driver, as well as a possible accomplice.
“We’ve deployed all of our capabilities; the forensic police went on the scene to take samples and an investigation is underway,” said Commander Mascarelli, adding that the role of the two suspects was unclear at the moment.
Immediately after the shooting, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi announced publicly that, “All the city’s means are at the investigators’ disposal and the footage of nearby security cameras was given to the Police Judiciaire.”
It is believed that Helene Pastor was visiting her 47-year-old son, Gildo Pallanca Pastor, entrepreneur and CEO of Venturi Automobiles, who is being treated at L’Archet for a stroke.
The Prince’s Palace has issued a statement, expressing Prince Albert’s support for the victims and their families.
"HSH Prince expresses his strong emotion in learning about the aggression of Helene Pallanca Pastor and her driver, in Nice. He offers them as well as their families, his utmost support. "
Part 2
Police still hunting for Helene Pastor's shooter
Monaco dynasty heiress Helene Pastor remains in a critical condition in hospital following a daring gun attack in Nice on Tuesday evening. Two suspects are still on the loose, as investigators scour surveillance camera footage and analyse witness reports to try and piece together circumstances surrounding the shocking daylight attack.
The ambush happened as Helene Pastor was being driven out of the car park of the l’Archet hospital in Nice at around 7pm after visiting her son Gildo Pallanco Pastor, head of the Venturi electric car company, who is recovering from a stroke.
According to witness reports, a gunman ran up to her black Lancia Voyager as it waited to join traffic on the road, and - possibly using a pump-action shotgun - opened fire on the front passenger side where Mrs Pastor was sitting. The 77-year-old was reportedly hit in the jaw. The attacker then targeted her chauffeur, shooting him in the chest and abdomen. He has been identified as 64-year-old Mohamed Darwich. Neither of the victims is able to assist police with their investigation at this stage.
Instead, police are relying on CCTV footage and witness accounts, which are remarkably detailed given the fact the attack occurred in broad daylight outside a heavily surveillanced hospital. It is believed the shooter fled the scene and joined an accomplice before the pair drove off in a car.
Speculation abounds as to the motive of the attack. There were early suggestions that the driver was the real target, but police were quick to rule that out. Meanwhile, a police source told local daily Nice Matin, “Frankly, if this was a professional hit, which has not been proven, then it was not a good assassin… he shot two people without killing them.”
Helene Pastor is the granddaughter of John-Baptiste Pastor, an Italian stonemason who arrived in Monaco in 1880 and had the foresight to buy up prime beachfront land, build blocks of apartments and rent them out, rather than sell them. While the family’s fortune is a tightly kept secret in the Principality, it has been reported that the Pastors own residential and commercial properties with a total floor space estimated at 500,000 square metres, worth around 19 billion euros.
Possible links between the Italian mafia and the real estate heiress have been made in the local media, but everything remains speculation at this stage.
Part 3
Driver dies from shooting injuries
Mohamed Darwich, driver and butler of Helene Pastor, has died from the injuries he sustained during a shooting in Nice last week. Helene Pastor, who was also critically injured in the attack, remains in a serious but stable condition, as police continue to hunt for the two suspects.
64-year-old Mohamed Darwich, who had been working for Helene Pastor for about 15 years according to AFP, died on Saturday 10th May at 12.30pm after four days in Saint Roch hospital in Nice.
A spokesperson for Nice’s hospital centre said, “Mrs Pastor is stable for the moment, but she remains in intensive care.”
Following Darwich's death, Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi released a statement, saying, “It’s with great sadness that I learned about [Mohamed Darwich]’s death. I trust thePolice Judiciaire and justice to solve the terrible case as soon as possible, particularly through Nice’s security footage which was made available to them.”
Helene Pastor, a prominent figure in Monaco, and Darwich, her driver, were shot with what is believed to be a sawn-off shotgun at about 7pm on Tuesday 6th upon leaving L’Archet hospital, where Mrs Pastor was visiting her son Gildo Pallanca Pastor.
The victims suffered several critical injuries, with wounds in the thorax, abdomen, neck and face, and were transported to the emergency services at Saint Roch hospital where they were simultaneously operated on by five teams of expert surgeons, according to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Nice’s Police Judiciaire is still looking for two suspects who were brazen enough to undertake the attack unmasked in front of a dozen witnesses and security cameras, according to AFP.
Part 4
Helene Pastor's health improves
Helene Pastor has awakened from a 10-day coma following a shooting in Nice which killed her driver. Meanwhile, police in Marseille have arrested a man for allegedly trying to extort millions from the Pastor family, claiming to know who was behind the attack.
“The health of Mrs Pastor has improved. She has awakened and her state of consciousness is normal,” Nice hospital centre said in a statement on Friday 16th May. “Her vital functions have stabilised […]. However, her life is still in danger.”
One day earlier, the Police Judiciaire (PJ) in Marseille arrested 43-year-old Jerome Bat, who allegedly contacted the Pastor family asking for between 10 and 30 million euros in exchange for information about the people behind the attack, which took place on 6th May.
“The individual tried to profit from the case’s notoriety. He has no information in any way, shape or form related to the case,” a source close to the investigation said.
Presented in front of Marseille’s criminal court, prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon requested he remain in custody for fear of a repeat offense, according to Nice Matin. He is scheduled to stand trial for extortion on 13th June.
The shooting, which left Pastor’s driver Mohamed Darwich dead, took place as the two were leaving L’Archet hospital, in the east of Nice, where Helene Pastor was visiting her son Gildo Pallanca Pastor.
The Pastors are a prominent family in Monaco, owning a significant, yet undisclosed, portion of the Principality’s real estate.
Part 5
Hélène Pastor dies from shooting
Prominent Monegasque businesswoman Hélène Pastor has died from her injuries sustained in a shooting in Nice on 6th May, despite earlier signs that the 77-year-old's health was improving. Police are yet to make any arrests in what can now be considered one of the Riviera's most high profile double murder investigations.
After more than two weeks in a critical condition at Saint Roch hospital in Nice, Hélène Pastor died on the morning of Wednesday 21st May at around 6am. The hospital confirmed Pastor’s death but did not provide any further comment.
The information came as a shock to many. Hélène Pastor's condition had been improving and doctors revealed that she had awakened from her coma on 16th May.
The Palace of Monaco today released a statement, saying, “HSH the Prince expresses his deep compassion to the children of Mrs Hélène Pastor-Pallanca at the announcement of her tragic passing."
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi also expressed his condolences. “My thoughts go out to Gildo, Hélène Pastor’s son, as well as all of her relatives. I share their pain and grief. My thoughts also go out to all the Monegasques who were devastated by this tragedy.”
A source close to the investigation said that investigators weren’t able to obtain any relevant information from the victim before she died.
“They saw her, but her health condition didn’t allow for an in-depth questioning,” he said.
Hélène Pastor and her driver Mohamed Darwich were shot on 6th May while exiting L’Archet hospital, where she was visiting her son Gildo Pallanca Pastor, who was being treated for a stroke.
According to witnesses, the killer fired through the window twice with what may have been a sawn-off shotgun, before fleeing with an accomplice.
As the attack occurred several weeks ago, the period of urgency known as the ‘période de flagrance,’ which gave the police extended short term means of investigation, has expired. Judges Christophe Perrueaux and Christine Saunier-Ruellan from Marseille have now been appointed to lead the ‘information judiciaire,’ a longer term investigation which is mandatory for crimes of this nature.
According to a police source, the investigation, based in part on a dozen witness accounts and security footage, is yet to determine whether the shooters were targeting Pastor or her driver Mohamed Darwich, who died on 10th May.
“We’re following a number of leads, “We’re using all the means necessary to assist in the investigation.”
Monaco is now mourning the loss of a key figure in the community. The 77-year-old businesswoman maintained a lower profile than the rest of the family, rarely appearing in public.
The Pastor family maintained the ownership of their constructions, earning their fortune by renting them out as apartments or offices. The empire was divided among Gildo Pastor’s three children Victor (died 2002), Michel (died in February 2014), and Hélène (May 2014). It is now controlled by a fourth Pastor generation, which includes Hélène’s son Gildo - an entrepreneur who owns Venturi Automobiles, among other companies.
The death of Hélène Pastor has added urgency to efforts to solve this case, one which has sent shockwaves throughout Monaco and the French Riviera.
Part 6
Pastor's son-in-law main suspect behind shooting
Wojciech Janowski, the son-in-law of Hélène Pastor, is suspected of ordering the assassination of the billionaire heiress, say French investigators. The two men behind the attack are also believed to have been identified, as efforts to solve Monaco’s most shocking murder case intensifies.
Following the arrests of more than 20 people on Monday 23rd June, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin revealed at a press conference on Tuesday that Hélène Pastor’s daughter, Sylvia, was not necessarily involved in her mother’s murder. She was released from custody a day later.
However, “suspicious movements” were noticed in her husband’s bank accounts.
Investigators say there is also evidence linking Janowski to “middle men” who are believed to have hired the suspects who carried out the deadly attack on 6th May.
“I want to acknowledge the cross-operational work of the municipal police in looking at 113 hours of video extracted from 43 CCTV cameras in the city of Nice,” said Mayor Christian Estrosi.
According to the prosecutor, CCTV footage has been integral in tracking the movements of the two suspects. They are known to have travelled from Marseille to Nice by train and took separate taxis to the Archet Hospital, where Hélène Pastor was visiting her son Gildo. Following the ambush attack, in which the shooter used a sawn-off shotgun, they fled by bus and then negotiated with a taxi driver before taking a 500 euro trip back to Marseille.
The men have been identified as 31-year-old Alhair Hamadi, born in Marseille of Comoros Islands origins, and Samine Said Ahmed, aged 24, born in the Comoros in the Indian Ocean. Both have criminal records.
There is also reportedly DNA evidence linking the suspects to a hotel in Nice.
Who is Wojciech Janowski?
Aside from his wealthy wife, Wojciech Janowski is a prominent figure in Monaco. The 64-year-old was a Polish honorary consul in Monaco - that title was removed by the Polish government once the arrest was revealed - and he has held various management positions in SBM. He often works with the Chamber of Commerce and is the CEO of the nanotechnology company Firmus SAM2 3.
He is also well known for his charitable activities, most notably he was one of two founders of the recently established Monaco Against Autism (MONAA). In 2010, he was awarded the Legion of Honour by the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy for his charitable work.
He is married to 52-year-old Sylvia Pastor, daughter Hélène Pastor and heir to the Pastor fortune.
Part 7
Janowski admits to ordering murder of Hélène Pastor
Wojciech Janowski, the son-in-law of billionaire Hélène Pastor, has admitted to ordering the murder of the wealthy Monaco businesswoman and her chauffeur in May. Faced with suspicious movements on his bank account and incriminating statements by alleged accomplices, it appears Janowski was backed into a corner.
The 64-year-old is the husband of Hélène Pastor's daughter, Sylvia Ratkowski-Pastor. After a number of days in police custody, Janowski confessed to his part in ordering the murder of his mother-in-law as well her chauffeur Mohamed Darwich, to “avoid making it obvious that the heiress was the only target”, reports the AFP.
The former honorary consulate of Poland, who was stripped of his status when news of his arrest broke, has been under arrest since Monday 23rd June.
Janowski's personal trainer, who has not yet been named, is believed to have been the middleman for his employer, allegedly hiring the gunmen who carried out the attack, as well as negotiating the price of the contract - around €140,000, according to RTL.
This morning both men, as well as the two suspected gunmen, were brought from the Auvare police station in Nice to the courts of Marseille, where they will stand before a judge this afternoon.
Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, as well as the interregional director of the Police Judiciaire (PJ) in Marseille, Christian Sainte, and the head of Nice’s branch of the PJ, Philippe Frizon, will hold a press conference at 5pm today to give further details on the developments of the double murder investigation.
Speculation as to a motive revolves largely around the reported reduction in allowance of €500,000 per month which Madame Pastor gave to her children. However, Robin has refused to confirm anything, telling the AFP that “at the moment, it’s too early to think about motives.”
Part 8
Janowski retracts confession
Wojciech Janowski, the man accused of ordering the murder of Monaco billionaire Hélène Pastor, has retracted his confession, says his lawyer. Apparently, the Polish national didn’t understand the French “nuances” used by investigators, despite living in the Principality for almost 30 years.
Appearing before a bail judge on Wednesday 2nd July, Janowski reportedly "recanted his statements made while in custody," said his lawyer Erick Campana. He also "denies having ordered" the killing of 77-year-old Hélène Pastor on 6th May.
As reported by AFP, Janowski, husband of Sylvia Pastor for 28 years, "misunderstood the meaning of the words used by the police,” argued his defense lawyer. “He spoke French, but he did not understand all the nuances of our language."
Late last week, prosecutors revealed that the former honorary consul of Poland had admitted to investigators that he was the "sponsor" of the double murder of his mother-in-law and her driver, 64-year-old Mohammed Darwich, who were both targeted at the l’Archet Hospital in Nice. It was also confirmed that Janowski had confessed that his personal trainer hired the two men who carried out the attack, both of whom have been arrested and charged.
Campana had asked the court to release Janowski and dismiss the statements he made while in custody because he did not have access to a lawyer or interpreter during his 96 hours of interrogation. But the judge did not agree.
"Not surprisingly, he can be kept in custody for a period of one year," said the defence lawyer. “In a year, at the most, the judge will revisit his case."
Wojciech Janowski will remain at the Baumettes prison "in total isolation", according to Campana, who added that his client is in good physical health but "not well at all."
The saga of the Pastor family
Last edited by MONACO BODYGUARDS™; 08-30-2014 at 07:25 AM.
#920
08-30-2014, 07:31 AM
Monaco
Cars
UPDATE spring / summer 2014 - 2
I know the valets for years and years, they are good guys.... BUT I always park my cars...
Hôtel de Paris valet crashes Lamborghini
Being a valet at Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris seems like a pretty cool job, that is until you crash someone else’s supercar - namely a Lamborghini Aventador. A YouTube video capturing the unfortunate incident has now gone viral, with 2.5 million views in just 10 days.
According to the video’s uploader, Niki Motorsport, the valet had successfully reverse parked the white Lamborghini in front of the Hôtel de Paris when he decided to rev the engine as onlookers took pictures and videos.
However, the valet obviously forgot to check if the car was in neutral before he hit the gas and the car launched forward, crashing into a white SUV that was slowly driving by.
While the car suffered only minor damage, it was enough to make any supercar fan wince - and attract the attention of millions of viewers on YouTube since it was posted on 2nd May.
Sometimes, it pays to park your own car..........
Video:
Cars
UPDATE spring / summer 2014 - 2
I know the valets for years and years, they are good guys.... BUT I always park my cars...
Hôtel de Paris valet crashes Lamborghini
Being a valet at Monaco’s Hôtel de Paris seems like a pretty cool job, that is until you crash someone else’s supercar - namely a Lamborghini Aventador. A YouTube video capturing the unfortunate incident has now gone viral, with 2.5 million views in just 10 days.
According to the video’s uploader, Niki Motorsport, the valet had successfully reverse parked the white Lamborghini in front of the Hôtel de Paris when he decided to rev the engine as onlookers took pictures and videos.
However, the valet obviously forgot to check if the car was in neutral before he hit the gas and the car launched forward, crashing into a white SUV that was slowly driving by.
While the car suffered only minor damage, it was enough to make any supercar fan wince - and attract the attention of millions of viewers on YouTube since it was posted on 2nd May.
Sometimes, it pays to park your own car..........
Video:
Last edited by MONACO BODYGUARDS™; 08-30-2014 at 07:36 AM.