Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s Spanish series ‘Bank Under Siege’ chronicles the actions of José Juan Martínez Gómez to rob the Central Bank of Barcelona with a gang of thieves. He eyes the 800 million pesetas stored in the establishment’s vault and a confidential document locked up in one of the security deposit boxes. The group of robbers holds around 300 hostages inside the building, threatening the positions of Spain’s highest-ranking officials, including the president of the government. In reality, the heist spearheaded by José Juan stirred several controversies, with the leader of the gang at the center of notoriety!
José Juan Martínez Gómez Orchestrated the Central Bank of Barcelona Robbery at 25
José Juan Martínez Gómez targeted the Central Bank of Barcelona with enough experience as a robber. Even though he was just 25 years old on May 23, 1981, the day the heist began, he had become infamous as a felon in Almería. He grew up as a member of the youth organization Organización Juvenil Española (OJE), and in 1972, he was captured by the authorities for the first time due to his involvement in various minor robberies. Four years later, José once again ended up in custody for robbing an armory. Throughout the late 1970s, he had several run-ins with the law.
José reportedly continued committing robberies in Barcelona, only to establish himself in the city’s extensive crime scene. He then led an eleven-man group to the Central Bank of Barcelona, where more than seven hundred pesetas were stored at the time. The gang of robbers held around three hundred individuals as hostages, which included the clients and employees of the financial establishment. The heist lasted thirty-seven hours, which remains a crucial chapter in the criminal history of Spain. After the period, José was arrested along with his accomplices, except for Jose Maria Cuevas Jimenez, who died in the confrontation with the police.
Following his arrest, José initially identified Antonio Luis as the mastermind behind the crime. Luis was described as a right-wing extremist whom he met in Perpignan, France. As per the initial investigation, this mysterious figure paid the robber $16,000 in pesetas to commit the heist, with $55,000 more promised after its completion. However, José changed his statements soon after, only to reveal that the attempted heist’s motivations were nothing but financial. Meanwhile, a Madrid-based anarchist organization came forward to share that the gang denounced him after finding out that he was a police agent who facilitated the arrest of several members. Regardless of the motive behind the crime, which remains contentious even today, the robber was convicted and sentenced to prison for around 30 years.
José Juan Martínez Gómez Committed Multiple Parole Violations After His Conviction
After José Juan Martínez Gómez’s conviction, he remained in prison for seven years. In September 1988, he was temporarily released from his penitentiary with a permit. However, the convicted robber didn’t return to the facility and was on the run for more than a month. His unsanctioned freedom came to an end when he was spotted at a restaurant in Vilanova i la Geltrú by a police officer. More officials arrived at the place to capture him in no time, causing a shootout that killed two cops. José was initially blamed for the deaths of two police officers, but subsequent investigation proved that he didn’t fire the fatal shots.
After firing once, José’s gun jammed, leaving him unable to use the weapon anymore. It was eventually discovered that another police officer fired the fatal shots in the heat of the showdown, a discovery which saved the robber from murder charges. Following the shootout, he returned to prison. In 1996, he once again evaded the authorities after leaving his penitentiary for a special Christmas parole. Similar to his arrest in 1988, he was spotted by the officers of the Barcelona Police’s anti-robbery squad in La Barceloneta, a neighborhood in the city. José’s life in prison ended in January 2016. However, it doesn’t mean that his confrontations with the law ceased to happen.
José Juan Martínez Gómez Was Implicated in Several Robberies After His Release From Prison
Even though José Juan Martínez Gómez’s imprisonment concluded in January 2016, he was confronted by four Ertzaintza police officials at the prison grounds before he could become a free man. They accused him of being involved in robberies that occurred in post offices in Basque Country, adding that he had twenty more years to serve. However, the matter was resolved without an additional sentence. Unfortunately, this confrontation was only the start of José’s eventful post-imprisonment life. In 2016, he was arrested for robbing a Kutxabank branch in the Egia neighborhood of San Sebastián. He allegedly tied up five individuals and looted around €50,000 from the establishment.
Interestingly, the robbers relied on a hole made in the wall of the bank to commit the crime, reminding us of the same tactic José’s on-screen counterpart uses in ‘Bank Under Siege.’ In 2021, he once again showed up on the radar of the Spanish authorities, this time concerning a robbery or robbery attempt that targeted a branch of Santander Bank in the municipality of Irun, Basque Country. The perpetrator(s) carved out a hole in the wall at night and committed the crime, only for the employees to come across the same in the next morning. Even though José was implicated in the crime, he was not convicted.
In 2022, José gave an interview to Deia, a newspaper based in the Basque Country, and insisted that he was not involved in the crime that was committed in Irun. He further added that the authorities suspected him only because he was in the municipality for a personal matter at the time. According to José, the police unnecessarily suspect him whenever something happens in the Gipuzkoa region, and the journalists sensationalize the same because his name sells. Furthermore, in the same year, he filed an appeal against an eleven-month prison sentence for a crime he allegedly didn’t commit.
José Juan Martínez Gómez Leads a Controversial Life Today
As per the latest reports, José Juan Martínez Gómez currently lives in Hondarribia, cherishing the appeal and ambiance of this captivating coastal town in the Basque Country. Even though he is extremely and understandably private about his family and personal life, we can share that he is the grandfather of at least four grandchildren. After his prison sentence concluded, the convicted robber collaborated with Juan M. Velázquez to write his biography ‘Algunos me llaman El Rubio,’ which translates to “Some Call Me the Blond.” For the publication and promotion of the sensational literary work, he has interacted with the press extensively over the years.
Even though José is in his late sixties and decades have passed since the infamous robbery in Barcelona, he is not one for a quiet life. He continues to stir controversies with his allegations against the late Emilio Alonso Manglano, who was one of the heads of the Higher Centre for Defence Information (CESID) at the time of the robbery. The robber claimed that the high-ranking official was the mastermind behind the crime, which was orchestrated to obtain a confidential document from the vault of the Central Bank of Barcelona. In 2021, José alleged that the document revealed the involvement of King Juan Carlos I, who ruled Spain from 1975 to 2014, in the failed 1981 coup attempt.
José’s allegations were never proven. Still, he stands by his accounts even today. Although he doesn’t have the energy of his twenty-five-year-old self, the robber hasn’t shown any hesitation in stirring up controversies by talking to different press outlets. While not giving these interviews, he spends his time at his home or going for walks. Back in 2022, José suffered from a hernia and chronic bronchitis. Apart from these health concerns, he seems to be leading a fairly comfortable life nowadays, with no fears about anything. Even the death that awaits him one day hasn’t been able to shake the old man, who describes himself as a man who “resurrected” twice, referring to two near-death experiences back in his youth.
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