Belgian robbers politely walk right into police trap
Five men attempted to shake down the owner of an e-cigarette shop, but he had a different plan in mind.
E-cigarette shop owner Didier experienced the longest 14 minutes of his life when five men walked into his shop, intending to rob him. Didier did his best to talk the men out of taking everything he owned.
The Independent reports that Didier calmly told the men that they had come in at the wrong time, and explained that if they came back closer to closing time they were guaranteed a much larger loot. "You’ll take 1,000 bucks, but if you come back tonight you might be able to take more," he told them. And, to Didier's surprise, the men believed him.
After the men left, Didier alerted police, who arrived on the scene a few hours later - just in time to catch the would-be robbers. They had not believed that the men would come back to Didier's shop, saying it was "unimaginable". But one hour before closing time the men returned. Didier told them it was not yet closing time so they should wait a little bit longer. Remarkably, the group came back a third time.
This time, police were waiting at the back of the shop, ready to apprehend the thieves. The group of five included a minor.
Local media is calling the group "the worst robbers in Belgium".
Some are also commenting on how their politeness is representative of the general niceness of Belgians.