'Most wanted' on-the-run raid suspect arrested

A MAN named as one of Britain's "most wanted" in connection with a series of raids, including one in the Capital, has been arrested in Amsterdam.

Anthony Craggs, 31, has been wanted by police since March 2003, when 90,000 was taken in violent armed raids on security guards delivering money to Abbey National branches, one of them in Morningside Road. He was arrested in connection with the raid on Friday by police acting on a tip-off to Dutch Crimestoppers.

In the Morningside robbery, two Securicor guards were assaulted as they refilled a cash machine. They had just arrived at the branch when the two men, one with a shotgun, pushed them inside the door of the bank, punched one of them in the face and snatched the case full of cash. They escaped in a silver Jaguar which was later found burnt out in a nearby street, and police launched a hunt for the culprits, but they were never found.

The car had been stolen in Leeds three weeks earlier, leading police to conclude the robbery had been well-planned.

Another, similar raid took place in Bournemouth, with the total stolen between the two robberies reaching 90,000.

Following the Morningside raid, police issued an appeal for help in tracking down the suspects and Securicor offered a 5,000 reward for information.

A spokesman for Securicor said at the time: "We deplore such incidents and are doing everything possible to assist the police with their enquiries."

Craggs had been hunted as part of a crime-fighting effort called Operation Captura, which sees the Serious Organised Crime Agency work with overseas agencies to pursue those who have European arrest warrants issued against them for serious crimes.

Crimestoppers director of operations, Dave Cording, said: "This is another superb result for Operation Captura as the net gets ever smaller for these dangerous fugitives. Anthony Craggs has been on the run since 2003 so a huge well done must go to law enforcement."