Thieves Use Explosives to Disable Armored Truck in Robbery Caught on Video

A handful of suspects are still on the loose following a daring daylight robbery that some are likening to the classic movie The Italian Job, The Times reported. 

On the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 9, eight masked robbers carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles held up an armored car in the southern Italian town of Puglia. After using explosives to blow the back doors off the vehicle, the suspects emerged from nearby hiding places and relieved the truck of its contents before fleeing from police in a chase.

“The money transported in the armoured van was not stolen because after the explosion, the system’s Spumablock [a security system activated by remote control] came into action,” explained Colonel Cristian Marello, head of the Carabinieri’s Lecce division.

The violent incident has been compared by many to the 1969 caper The Italian Job, which starred Michael Caine as the ringleader of a theft ring who hatches a plan to fleece gold from the Italian city of Turin by causing a massive traffic jam. The film was remade in 2003 by F. Gary Gray with Mark Wahlberg taking over Caine’s role, and Charlize Theron and Edward Norton in supporting roles. One of the most enduring scenes from the original film finds Caine telling one of his comrades, after an overly-explosive test run, “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”

Footage of Robbery Shows Cops, Thieves Exchanging Fire

A viral clip of the robbery attempt resembles something closer to Michael Mann’s Heat, as a scene of urban warfare unfolds on a busy stretch of highway. After using their cars as a blockade, the thieves use the vehicles as cover while triggering the explosives and exchanging gunfire with police on the scene. But despite the remarkable occurrence, officials later confirmed that no officers or civilians were harmed. “It is a result that demonstrates professionalism, composure, operational effectiveness, and absolute dedication to serving the institutions,” said Guido Crosetto, Puglia’s defense minister.

2 of the 8 Suspects Have Been Apprehended

An Alfa Romeo used as a getaway car was found abandoned several miles from the scene of the crime. Shortly after police discovered the car, they arrested two suspects—a 38-year-old and a 61-year-old, both from the nearby town of Foggia—and charged them with attempted murder, aggravated robbery, carrying war weapons and explosives, and resisting public officials. “The search for the other accomplices continues,” Marello said. “We believe eight people participated in the assault.”