North of the Border owner stabbed on Friday back to work on Monday, robbers still at large

By ASHLEY SAARIand MEGHAN PIERCE

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published: 01-27-2020 9:28 PM

Rindge police are searching for two armed robbery suspects who they say stabbed one of the owners of North of the Border and took cash from the store Friday night.

“Hopefully they catch them,” said Ahmad Mortada, a brother of the man stabbed during the robbery. “And no one else gets hurt. That’s what we’re hoping for. The money is not the issue. The damage is not the issue. Just that they don’t hurt anyone else. They are getting bold. My feeling is they’re going to kill someone if they don’t get caught.”

Police believe the robbery is related to another robbery that occurred the previous week in Fitzwilliam in which three armed men robbed the State Line Grocery on Jan. 15. 

“We believe they’re connected, and we’re working jointly with Fitzwilliam on that,” Rindge Police Chief Dan Anair said Monday. “We’re making sure we’re sharing information back and forth, and that we each have everything the other has. We’ve been in constant contact.”

The North of the Border store co-owner, Ali Mortada, who fired shots at the robbers with his own personal firearm as they fled the store, was taken to Henry Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Massachusetts by Jaffrey-Rindge Ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries Friday night.

His brother, Ahmad Mortada said in an interview Monday that Ali underwent surgery due to the stabbing, but has since been released from the hospital, and was even back at work on Monday.

“He’s doing good,” Ahmad Mortada said. “He was lucky.”

Police responded to North of the Border convenience store on Route 202 Friday night at 9:39 p.m. for a report of gunshots and two males running from the store with an injured male inside the store.

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When Rindge police officers arrived they determined Ali Mortada was working at the store when two masked individuals came in the store wearing dark-colored clothing and masks.

“The individuals jumped the counter and attacked the store clerk who received injuries to include a stab wound to the abdomen. One of the individuals was wielding a knife and the other a black handgun,” Rindge police said in the press release. “During the altercation, an undisclosed amount of money was taken from the store. The clerk shot at the two suspects as they were fleeing the scene. NH State Police K9 completed a track that did not provide any substantial information.”

Ahmad Mortada said one of the most disturbing things about the robbery is the men stabbed his brother after he had already turned over the money. He said the escalation from the Fitzwilliam robbery makes him fear the suspects aren’t going to stop.

Ahmad Mortada said the men came in and demanded money and that the store’s safe be opened. They also threatened to kill his brother, who was working the counter alone.

He added this kind of incident isn’t what people expect in a small town like Rindge. “We don’t deserve this. Everyone is peaceful here. Everybody knows everybody.”

Anair said police do not know if any of the shots fired by Ali Mortada caused any injury to either robber. Police are investigating to determine that, Anair said.

On Friday, two men in their 20s were admitted to a Manchester hospital with serious gunshot wounds, with the victims refusing to tell police how the injuries occurred, according to published reports from various news outlets. Anair confirmed that Rindge police had investigated that incident and determined it was unrelated to the Rindge robbery. 

A similar armed robbery was carried out the week prior in Fitzwilliam, according to Fitzwilliam police. 

On Jan. 15, at approximately 9:52 p.m., three men robbed the State Line Grocery on Route 12 in Fitzwilliam, only about 15 minutes away from the North of the Border store.

In the State Line robbery, all three men were described as dark-skinned, wearing hooded and sweatshirts and masks. They were armed, two with knives and one with a semi-automatic handgun. 

According to a press release issued by Fitzwilliam police, the three men ran into the store, jumped the checkout counter, and demanded money and cigarettes. They were able to flee the store with an undisclosed amount of cash and nine cartons of Camel cigarettes and three cartons of Seneca cigarettes, and were last seen on running toward State Line Circle. A search of the area by the Fitzwilliam police, Rindge police, Jaffrey police, New Hampshire State  Police and Winchendon, Massachusetts police was unsuccessful in locating the men.

No one was injured in that robbery.

Rindge police have not ruled out that the third person involved with the State Line robbery may also be involved in the North of the Border robbery. Though only two men entered the store, police have yet to determine how the men left the scene.

In other robberies on Route 202 in previous years, the perpetrators often access the store from the woods or have parked on side streets nearby, Anair said.

There have been other robberies in the area in the past, including at banks located on Route 202. 

“Unfortunately, I can’t really say it’s uncommon,” Anair said.

Anyone with any information regarding the State Line Grocery incident is asked to call Fitzwilliam Police Chief Leonard DiSalvo at (603) 585-6565 or  email him at chief@fitzpolice.us.

Anyone with information about the North of the Border ​​​incident is asked to call Rindge police Sgt. Malynowski at 899-5009 ext. 15.

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