On an Italian highway, robbers wearing masks and armed with rifles blew up a cash transport vehicle and fled after a chase with police.
According to the British daily The Times, an incident reminiscent of the crime movie ‘The Italian Job’ occurred on the morning of the 9th on National Highway 613 between Lecce and Brindisi in Puglia, Italy.
In the video taken by nearby drivers, several men wearing masks and white work clothes got out of the vehicles parked around the cash truck. Some of the gunmen hid behind vehicles holding firearms, while others approached the cash van.
Soon, an explosion occurred, smoke and debris rose into the sky, and the back door and roof of the cash transport vehicle were torn off. It was also seen that the gunmen seemed to be moving the contents of the transport vehicle into a passenger car.
Regarding this, Colonel Christian Marello of the Italian military police Carabinieri said, “The cash in the vehicle was not stolen,” and “A security system operated by remote control was activated immediately after the explosion.”
Carabinieri members chased the fleeing robbers, and a shootout broke out in the process. Fortunately, the authorities explained that there were no casualties, including police officers or civilians.
The Carabinieri believe that a total of eight people participated in this attack. To date, two male suspects, aged 38 and 61, have been arrested on charges including attempted murder. They abandoned the vehicle and ran across the field before being caught.
Puglia, where the incident occurred, is the region with the second highest incidence of cash van attacks among the 20 Italian provinces. According to the Italian security guards union, between 2019 and 2023, about 1.6 billion euros (about 2.8 trillion won) worth of valuables were stolen in such raids.
Reporter Kim Ji-hye kim.jihye6@joongang.co.kr
date: 2026-02-10 14:20:00
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