French Police Seek Suspect In Armored Truck Heist

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European authorities are hunting for a French armored-car driver who made off with more than $17 million in cash last week. The man may be a criminal, but he's also a rising star, as Eleanor Beardsley reports.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY: 39-year-old Tony Musulin had been a driver for armored car company Loomis for 10 years. Last Thursday, after making a pick up at the Bank of France, Musulin and 49 sacks of cash simply disappeared. Police briefly thought Musulin could have been the victim of a holdup, but after discovering his empty vehicle ditched near the bank, he became the main suspect.

Xavier Richard is a public prosecutor in the city of Lyon, where the heist took place.

Mr. XAVIER RICHARD (Public Prosecutor): (French spoken)

BEARDSLEY: He had obviously prepared this very well, says Richard. His bank accounts had been closed. His apartment was neat, with no papers lying around. Even his fridge had been cleaned out. Musulin was single and had no children. Coworkers described him as shy and even a loner. But on Facebook, he's become a hero.

There's one packet of cash that won't finish in the pockets of traders and bankers, wrote one of Musulin's hundreds of admirers on the Tony Musulin for President Facebook page. Hats off to you, artist, wrote another. Musulin's fresh, blue-eyed face stares out from wanted posters at French train stations and airports, as authorities hoped to catch him before he flees the country. Another Facebook subscriber predicted it was already too late. At this moment, he's under the coconut trees with a big smile and a scotch. Enjoy, Tony.

For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley, in Paris.

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