Fri., Jan. 28, 2011

Armed ‘Obama robber’ hits Austria banks

n this image released by Austrian Police and made Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011, a bank robber wearing a mask depicting U.S. President Barack Obama enters a bank in Handenberg, Austria. Police say the man, nicknamed the "Obama Robber" by local media, is wanted for six heists since 2008. The most recent took place Thursday, where the Obama-resembling suspect made off with an undisclosed amount of money after threatening bank employees with a gun. ((AP Photo/Austrian Police))

VIENNA (AP) — Say, isn't that the president with a gun in his hand? Actually, no, but it sure looks like it.

Austrian authorities are searching for a bank robber who uses an unusual disguise: He wears a Barack Obama mask during his holdups.

Police say the man, nicknamed the "Obama Robber" by local media, is wanted for six heists since 2008. The most recent took place last week in the hamlet of Handenberg, where the Obama-resembling suspect made off with an undisclosed amount of money after threatening bank employees with a gun.

Police official Markus Mitloehner said that the man is thought to be a local since he speaks the regional dialect — with nary a trace of Obama's more professorial accent.

Posted Jan. 28, 2011, 7 a.m.