Albania deploys army to guard airport after second money heist

The Albanian government ordered troops to guard the country's international airport and criticised the Chinese company that runs the facility on Wednesday, a day after armed robbers seized bags of cash that were about to be loaded onto a plane. The government would "no longer allow the security of citizens and the country's image to suffer", Defence Minister Olta Xhacka said of Tuesday's robbery, which was the second time in three years the Tirana airport has been targeted in a heist. She joined Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj in accusing Tirana International Airport (TIA), run by financial firm China Everbright Limited (CEL), of "persistent irresponsibility". "I have ordered members of the military police and the troops of the special army unit to be stationed along the security fence of the 'Mother Teresa' airport," Xhacka said. CEL rejected Lleshaj's allegations of negligence, including that it had failed to notify the police of the break-in. The company said it had stepped up security measures since a similar robbery at the airport in June 2016.<br/>