The Prinsinn shop in Reykjavík suffered its fifth burglary in one year this week, Vísir reports. Taking a cue from Hollywood, the thief rappelled down through a hole in the roof before breaking a narrow hole in a glass door to escape. The burglar stole into the night with four packs of cigarettes.
“Mission Impossible”
The owner of the Prinsinn sweet shop in the Árbær neighbourhood of Reykjavík, Guðjón Jónasson, is no stranger to break-ins. Having suffered several burglaries in the past, Guðjón told Vísir yesterday that no valuables are stored in his shop overnight.
Enter a cat burglar.
Rappelling down a hole that he had sawn in the roof, a masked thief landed on Guðjón’s shop floor earlier this week and headed for the cigarette cabinet. Thwarted by the near impregnability of the cabinet, the thief panicked. With four packs of cigarettes on his person, he headed for the exit, but was unable to escape – so he cut a hole in the glass.
“But the hole, as you can see, is only yay big,” Guðjón told Vísir. “I can barely fit my shoulder through it. But somehow, the burglar manages to jump through the hole. He gets stuck, tips over, and leaks through the window. It’s like a scene from a movie.”
This is the most elaborate break-in attempt that Prinsinn has suffered according to Guðjón: “This person probably watched Mission Impossible one too many times. I wonder whether there’s something bigger in the works.”
If asked if he had a message for future burglars, Guðjón responded bluntly: “Don’t do it. There’s nothing of value to be obtained.”
Security footage from the break-in can be viewed here.
