Armed robbers ambush, blow up armoured cash van in Italian Job-style heist on highway
Video filmed by a passing motorist shows thick smoke billowing across the carriageway as the assailants transferred items from the damaged van into one of their cars.
In a dramatic Italian Job style, masked gunmen blew open an armoured cash-in-transit van on a motorway in southern Italy on Monday morning (9 February), triggering a shootout with police and a large-scale manhunt that ended with the arrest of two suspects.
The attack took place around 8am on the Lecce–Brindisi road in Puglia, where about six men wearing balaclavas and dark clothing or white overalls boxed in the security vehicle before detonating explosives, reports The Independent.
The blast tore off the van's doors and roof, sending debris into the air and bringing traffic to a standstill. The vehicle belongs to security firm Battistolli.
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Video filmed by a passing motorist shows thick smoke billowing across the carriageway as the assailants transferred items from the damaged van into one of their cars. At least one suspect crouched behind a vehicle, appearing to provide armed cover.
Italian media reported that some motorists caught in the ambush may also have been robbed, though police have not confirmed how much money, if any, the gang escaped with.
Police arrived shortly afterwards, prompting an exchange of gunfire. Images shared by local outlets show a patrol car with a bullet hole in its windscreen. Authorities said no officers or civilians were injured.
The suspects fled the scene, sparking a chase and a subsequent search in farmland near Squinzano. Officers later arrested two men after they abandoned a white Alfa Romeo and attempted to escape on foot. Police also recovered a Jeep believed to be linked to the raid, while at least two other suspects remain at large.
Sky TG24 reported that the arrested men are from the Foggia area, a part of Puglia known for repeated attacks on armoured vehicles.
Italy's security guards' union Savip said organised gangs stole about €1.6bn worth of valuables nationwide between 2019 and 2023, underscoring the scale of cash-in-transit crime. Authorities stressed that this figure does not relate specifically to Monday's incident.
Investigators continue to examine CCTV footage and seized vehicles as part of the ongoing probe.
"Once again, the Carabinieri found themselves on the front lines of an extremely violent and organised criminal act," Nicola Magno, Puglia regional secretary general of Un Arma, told Sky TG24.
"The fact that a patrol car was hit by gunfire shows the level of risk our officers face every day. Their professionalism and composure prevented what could have been a tragedy."
