AppleInsider StaffNews of the alleged assault was shared by Nowhereelse.fr on Friday (translation), which said that three men were armed with Kalashnikov or M16 rifles when they robbed the van. The vehicle was reportedly found abandoned several hours later.
Police also found the stolen Apple equipment in a house near where the ditched van was discovered, according to the report, though the robbers were nowhere to be found.
The driver and passenger of the van were said to have been released by the robbers unharmed in the woods of Val d'Oise. The attack took place Friday morning in Aulnay-sous-Bois in Seine-Saint-Denis.
As a seller of valuable electronics, Apple products and the company's retail stores have been the target of a number of high-profile incidents over the years. Last April, a robbery suspect was killed in a shootout with police at a San Diego, Calif., Apple Store.
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43 Comments
So people steal valuable things. Must be a slow news day.
Unless the van was adorned with "APPLE PRODUCTS INSIDE, GOING TO AN APPLE STORE NEAR YOU. SHOW APPLE THE LOVE- APPLE, APPLE, APPLE - IMACS, IPADS, IPHONES - GET YOURS TODAY!" makes me think it was an "inside" job with a little knowledge of said shipment... Or maybe the robbers just got lucky.
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Unless the van was adorned with "APPLE PRODUCTS INSIDE, GOING TO AN APPLE STORE NEAR YOU. SHOW APPLE THE LOVE- APPLE, APPLE, APPLE - IMACS, IPADS, IPHONES - GET YOURS TODAY!" makes me think it was an "inside" job with a little knowledge of said shipment... Or maybe the robbers just got lucky.
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Three guys with M16s do not take down a van by chance - they knew.
This leads me to wonder when manufacturers are going to black list computer serial numbers. Apple dealers could report stolen serial numbers to Apple, and then when the buyer of said device tries to connect to the Internet, boom! - computer disabled and reported to police.
[quote name="Gustav" url="/t/151130/rifle-wielding-men-rob-apple-van-in-france-report#post_2141547"]This leads me to wonder when manufacturers are going to black list computer serial numbers. Apple dealers could report stolen serial numbers to Apple, and then when the buyer of said device tries to connect to the Internet, boom! - computer disabled and reported to police. [/quote] You mean when the computer is brought in for repairs. No way do I want my computer reporting its serial number to the Internet every time it connects, much less be treated like a criminal in any fashion.
"HEAT"