A group of masked robbers posing as police officers staged a dramatic, movie-style attack on an armored cash van on a busy southern highway. Italy, creating chaos in broad daylight. The brazen robbery attempt, caught on camera and widely shared on X, shocked viewers online
Officials said that despite the dramatic attack, the cash inside the van was not stolen. (X/@Nocturnal205)According to a According to PEOPLE, the incident took place on State Road 613 in the Puglia region on Monday morning when armed men stopped traffic after setting fire to a truck. In the video shared on X, the gang can be seen ducking behind the vehicle moments before the armored vehicle explodes, sending flames and metal flying into the air.
Authorities said the attackers were armed with Kalashnikov rifles and used explosives to detonate the back of an armored vehicle belonging to security firm Battistoli.
Watch the video below:
Highway robberyOfficials said that despite the dramatic attack, the cash inside the van was not stolen. “The money transported in the armored van was not stolen because after the explosion, the system’s spamblock worked,” Colonel Cristian Marello, head of the Carabinieri’s Lakes department, told the outlet.
According to reports, the van was forced to stop after vehicles blocked the road. While some of the suspects tried to unload items from the damaged vehicle, others reportedly fired back at the police.
Investigators believe at least one unmarked vehicle used in the raid had removable flashing lights to help the suspects disguise themselves to law enforcement officers.
Police later found an abandoned Alfa Romeo, believed to have been used in the robbery, abandoned in a field. Two suspects, aged 38 and 61, have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, aggravated robbery, possession of weapons of war and explosives and resisting public officials.
“The search for other accomplices continues. We believe eight people participated in the attack,” Marello said.
