Guns in the Afternoon

As the two-hour siesta drew to its close, life stirred along Havana's Prado. Shoeshine boys and maracas salesmen lolled under the laurel trees. English-speaking pimps eyed the few tourists who were waiting for the smart leather and perfume shops to open.

Ignored by the idlers, two sedans turned into the Prado and parked close to the Paseo de Marti branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. The porter was just opening the thick mahogany doors of the one-story limestone building.

From each car came five men. Said one of them to the bank porter: "These gentlemen are going in the bank and you are going with us. Don't draw your gun or the gentleman behind you will riddle you."

Inside the bank, two of the gentlemen (one had a submachine gun) took up posts blocking the front door. Another pair strode across the tiled floor to block a back exit. Four others herded twelve bank employees and four customers into a patio in the rear, while the gang leader and an aide went to the office of the bank's manager, Esteban Juncadella. He found him chatting with, of all people, a sub-inspector of the Bureau of Theft of the secret police.

"Open the vault and don't get nervous or we'll kill you," ordered the leader. Juncadella did as he was told. The robbers scooped up hundreds of bank notes and cleaned out the cash windows. Eight minutes after entering the bank, they walked out into the sun-baked Prado, crossed to the shady side where their cars were waiting, and drove away. It was the biggest bank robbery in Cuba's history. Total take: $562,648.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.