ARMED robbers disguised in burqas escaped with thousands in cash after carrying out a post office raid in Paris.

The crime – which took place yesterday in the suburb of Athis Mons – comes as the French government faces growing calls for the controversial garments to be banned.



Will this first robbery using a burqa re-launch the debate about the Islamic veil being worn in public places?

President Nicolas Sarkozy himself has described them as a “security risk”, saying they provide the perfect cover for criminals or terrorists.Now those fighting for the ban claim the robbery – which is the first of its kind in France – shows how useful the burqa is as a disguise.It took place at around 10.30am, when two robbers carrying pistols entered the main post office bank building in Athis Mons, which has a large immigrant Muslim community, mainly from North Africa.Once inside they ordered a bank clerk to take out the equivalent of Â£4,000 in cash by pointing a pistol at him. After ten minutes they fled to a nearby car park and escaped.Police fear that they will not be able to identify the robbers on CCTV cameras. Said one detective:It was a perfect disguise. Their faces and bodies were completely covered.The robbery led to Le Parisien, the main daily paper in the French capital, to ask:

A government committee has already recommended that burqas should not be allowed in civil buildings and on public transport, and a full ban could follow.

Britain is no stranger to burqa crime.

Last November two robbers – dressed in full-length women’s burkhas – pistol-whipped a post office manager during a daylight raid in Bradford.

The attackers bundled their 38-year-old victim into the premises as he opened the shop.

They brutally struck him on the head with the butt of a handgun when he was unable to open a safe.

But the raiders then panicked and fled empty-handed when they saw a customer peering through the window of the post office, in Oak Lane, Manningham.

Last summer a robber dressed from head to toe in a traditional Muslim woman’s burqa raided a travel agent, and also made off with thousands in cash.

And in 2008, a 6ft 6in robber hidden beneath a burqa was involved in a Â£200,000 raid on a jewellery store in Smethwick, West Midlands.

You can read more about burqa villainy here.

Hat tip: BarrieJohn