Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/12/24/swedish_santas/

Masked Santas disarm Swedish royal guard

Soldier declines to shoot St Nick

By Christopher Williams

Posted in Bootnotes, 24th December 2010 13:06 GMT

Two masked men dressed in Santa hats robbed a royal guard of his automatic weapon in Stockholm last night.

The pair mounted a successful surprise attack on the guard, The Local reports.

"This is serious. I have a hard time believing it is a prank. It might be premeditated," said appropriately-named local police commander Anders Krook.

The gun stolen by the bad Santas was a loaded AK-5, fitted with a bayonet.

"I don't know what level of force the robbers used and if they made threats, but firing a gun is the last course of action," said a spokesman for the royal guards.

A review of security procedures has been launched. ®