“You’re Only Supposed to Blow the Bloody Doors Off!”
A masked gang of armed robbers blew up an armored van carrying cash in broad daylight on an Italian highway Monday, in a daring heist straight out of The Italian Job.
According to the Puglia Daily, around six thieves dressed in striking black-and-white outfits stopped a Battistolli security van in Puglia and detonated a bomb, ripping the armored vehicle wide open.
Wild footage captured the moment the armed thieves detonated the armored van, sending smoke and debris flying as they scrambled to grab the cash from the wreckage.
It is still unclear how much money was stolen in the audacious robbery.
The daring heist drew comparisons to a famous scene in the 1969 film The Italian Job, in which Michael Caine and Tony Beckley’s characters use explosives to blow up a van during a gold robbery.
Video from Monday’s Puglia highway raid shows the gang strategically blocking the road—parking their cars and setting another vehicle on fire—to carry out the attack with precision.
The masked gang also opened fire on responding police with rifles during the brazen heist. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto described the scene as “a bloody incident,” CNN reported.
At least one officer was injured in the shootout, and photos from the aftermath showed a bullet hole in a police cruiser’s windshield. Fortunately, no members of the public were harmed, authorities said.
In addition to targeting the armored cash van, the robbers reportedly ambushed and stole from other vehicles stopped on the highway, according to Italian media.
So far, only two suspects have been arrested in the ongoing manhunt. The 38- and 62-year-old men face charges including attempted murder, aggravated robbery, and possession of war weapons, Italy’s public broadcaster RAI reported.
Authorities believe the thieves initially set another vehicle on fire along the highway to block traffic before targeting the armored van.
The Battistolli security company described the attack as the latest in a string of robberies against its transport vans over the past two years, urging officials to strengthen road security.
“In the last two years, the Battistolli Group has suffered 14 attacks, a situation that requires attention and concrete action,” the company said in a statement.
The group also expressed solidarity with its employees, bystanders, and their families affected by the latest brazen heist.
