'Incognito Bandit' bank robbery suspect arrested trying to board South Africa-bound flight
— -- The "Incognito Bandit" has been caught.
The alleged elusive serial bank robber was arrested Friday night at Dulles International Airport in Virginia as he attempted to board a South Africa-bound flight, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston said Friday.
Albert Taderera, 36, of Brighton, Massachusetts, was charged with the October 2016 robbery of a TD Bank branch in Wayland, Massachusetts.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, citing court documents, said 16 banks were robbed between February 2015 and March 2017 in the greater Boston area allegedly by the "Incognito Bandit."
The nickname "Incognito Bandit" is derived from the fact that the robber typically was disguised in a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark face mask/sunglasses, dark gloves and dark clothing.
In most of the robberies, the robber displayed what tellers described as a black semi-automatic handgun.
Earlier this month, police in Massachusetts say they determined that Taderera fit the general description of the individual responsible for the 16 robberies.
The FBI then learned of his travel plans.
"On Thursday March 23, 2017, at approximately 10:15 pm, the FBI learned that Taderera had booked a flight, scheduled to leave on Friday, March 24, 2017, at 11:00 a.m., from Dulles International Airport to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a press release.
But those plans changed.
The release continues, "During the morning of Friday, March 24, 2017, Taderera was en route to Dulles having taken a flight out of Boston. It was later learned that Taderera had rebooked his flight and was now planning to leave on March 24, 2017, at 5:45 p.m. from Dulles to Johannesburg, South Africa."
The charging statute provides for a sentence up to 25 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Taderera is scheduled to appear in the U.S. District Court for the District of Eastern Virginia on Monday.
It was unclear if he has an attorney.
