Masked and armed men burst into the Casino di Venezia last night and robbed the place in a Hollywood style hold-up that saw them escape by boat from an adjacent marina. The amount of cash stolen was not revealed but is understood to be substantial.

The robbery took place at about 7pm at the Vittoriosa Waterfront. Witnesses told the police that five armed and masked men burst into the casino, but details up to the time of going to print were sketchy. Members of the Criminal Investigation Division will be studying CCTV footage, however the darkness and the hoods could immediately close that avenue of investigation.

After the robbery, the men pushed the car they arrived in into the sea. The vehicle had been reported as stolen some time before. In an inventive approach, the robbers left the scene on a speedboat which was lying in wait. The method of escape caused some commotion as bewildered motorists made their way home after a day of work. Mobile Squad police cars were racing at full speed towards the south of Malta, with some of them doubling back on a roundabout to head towards Valletta. An AFM spokesman confirmed that the army had launched assets to patrol and search the coast. In a statement, the police said that they had deployed en masse with Forensic, CID, Mobile Squad and District officers all being present on the site. No one was hurt during the robbery.

The duty magistrate was informed and appointed a number of experts to assist in drawing up an inquiry.