POLICE today made an arrest in connection with the armed bank robbery in Newport city centre last month during which a security guard was shot.

A 27-year-old man from the Birmingham area was arrested and was in police custody at Newport Central police station waiting to be interviewed.

It could be a major breakthrough more than a month after a gang brought terror to the city centre on a quiet Monday morning.

They raided the Halifax bank on April 11, shooting a Securicor security guard in the l from front page

thigh and coshed have-a-go hero Wayne Jones who tried to tackle them. Police said the 55-year-old security worker was lucky to be alive. He underwent surgery but made a good recovery.

Three days after the robbery, police arrested a woman at a house in the Pontfaen area of Newport on suspicion of handling stolen goods but she was later released without charge.

During the investigation, detectives revealed they believed the robbers were the same gang which was behind a bungled raid in England when a security guard was also shot.

He was critically injured during a post office robbery in Rednal, Worcestshire, on April 21. The gang made off empty-handed. Two weeks after the robbery, a £50,000 reward was offered for information about the Newport incident.

Gwent Police were working with colleagues in West Mercia and they believed the offenders were connected with the West Midlands, Leicestershire and Nottingham areas.

Detective Superintendent Geoff Ronayne told the Argus he suspected the car used by the gang - a Mitsubishi Evolution Vlll car which had false plates - had been stolen from the Birmingham area.