Police find €9m in hunt for driver

EUROPE-WIDE SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR LYON SECURITY GUARD WHO DROVE OFF WITH €11M IN THE BACK OF HIS VAN POLICE have seized nine of the €11.6m stolen from the Banque de France last week - but the

rest of the cash and the suspected thief are still nowhere to be seen after four days. Security van driver Tony Musulin has become an internet celebrity since he was named by police on

Friday as the number one suspect in one of the biggest French bank robberies in recent years. Mr Musulin was at the wheel of the armoured vehicle doing a money collection round in Lyon last

Thursday when the vehicle suddenly drove off with €11.6m in the back. The van was found empty two hours later, and police have now found €9.1m in an underground garage near the scene. The

garage had been rented out until Christmas under a fake name - suggesting the thief was considering coming back for the rest of the cash at a later date. A Europe-wide hunt is underway for

Mr Musulin, who had worked at private security contractor Loomis for 20 years. His photograph has been sent to police in 185 countries around the world. Lyon public prosecutor Xavier Richaud

said: "He has made off with €2.5m, that's all we know for sure. We have no way of knowing whether he's abroad or still in France." Tributes to Mr Musulin's audacity

have sprung up on Facebook, with one entitled: "Tony Musulin for president". Another site has begun selling €20 T-shirts with the slogan: "Tony, Best Driver 2009".