Monrovia — Liberia's fragile peace continues to come under attack from armed men who roam about the streets mainly at night, breaking into homes and businesses, and sometimes beating and killing residents.
The latest attack occurred on the Monrovia-Buchanan highway on Saturday, when a mini-van carrying large sums of money from Monrovia to the Global Bank Branch in Buchanan was hijacked by armed men wearing masks, according to a release from the Liberia National Police.
The men, travelling in two taxis and carrying assault weapons, beat up the occupants of the mini-van and made away with a reported U.S. $150,000. The money belonged to the Global Bank and workers of the Liberia Agriculture Company, LAC, the second main rubber company in Liberia, located in Grand Bassa County.
The police report says that some suspects have been arrested and are undergoing questioning, but nothing has emerged as to what happened to the money.
Some Liberians and foreign businessmen are speculate the crime could be an inside job. They question how the robbers knew when and where the money was being moved.
In another incident, a manager of the LAC has been killed by unknown persons. There is speculation that there could be a link between the killing and the robbery, and some are worried about the effect of the two incidents on investment in Liberia.
