This chareidi gold dealer from Europe had good reason to bench gomel as he emerged from a life-threatening situation unscathed.
According to the Chadrei Chareidim report, the chareidi businessman is a resident of Antwerp, Belgium and this occurred while he was returning home from Holland with a bag containing a significant amount of gold.
As the merchant was traveling in his vehicle on a major thoroughfare he believed he was being followed. He entered a gas station to fill up his vehicle and then began driving off. He traveled about 300 meters and the vehicle behind him with a blue light flashing signaled him to pull over.
Three men got out brandishing guns and instructed him to hand over the bag. He traveled in reverse into the gas station, grabbed the bag and ran into the store in the station while shouting “it’s a robbery”. There were other people in the store according to the report. The attendant locked the door and hit the panic button.
The armed men, who did not wear masks, arrived a short time after still brandishing guns instructing the man to hand over the bag of gold.
Baruch Hashem the police arrived a short time later and the bandits fled, but the people and the gold were safe. Police closed the area road for six hours and they found the vehicle used by the bandits, which they learned was stolen.
The merchant later explained police asked him if he was aware they were shooting at him, to which he replied he was not. They showed him there were bullet holes in his vehicle which he was not aware of.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
He wasn’t alone in the car. There were 2 people in the car, a 43-year old man from Antwerp and a 28-year old woman from Essen (just north of Antwerp).
See http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/1826861233/Twee+Belgen+beschoten+bij+gewapende+overval+op+parkeerplaats+A67+bij+Veldhoven.aspx , news article from Dutch local media that confirms the rest of this story.