WATCH: Gang of Armed Robbers Blow Open Armored Truck in Brazen Highway Heist

ITALY: An armed gang carried out a daylight assault on an armored cash in transit van in southern Italy this morning. The attack targeted a BTV armored vehicle on the SS 613 highway between Lecce and Brindisi, near the Tuturano exit in the Puglia region.

According to Italian… pic.twitter.com/Bqu03Dy4rx

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 9, 2026

A masked gang armed with Kalashnikov rifles brought an Italian motorway to a standstill early Monday after blowing apart an armored truck packed with cash in a brazen daylight heist.

The attack unfolded shortly after 8 a.m. local time on a stretch of road linking the Italian towns of Lecce and Brindisi in the country’s southern region of Puglia.

Around six men, wearing balaclavas and dressed in either black clothing or white overalls, boxed in the security van before detonating an explosive that ripped off its doors and roof, sending the vehicle briefly airborne.

Viral footage filmed by a passing driver showed the blast engulfing the road in smoke as traffic screeched to a halt. The gang appeared to swiftly unload the van’s contents into waiting cars, while at least one armed suspect crouched behind a vehicle to provide cover.

Italian media reported that motorists caught in the ambush may also have been robbed, though authorities have not confirmed how much cash was taken.

Police arriving at the scene came under fire, triggering a shootout that left a patrol car with a bullet hole in its windscreen, although no officers were reported injured.

The suspects fled, according to local law enforcement, prompting a chase and an intensive manhunt near the town of Squinzano. Two men were later arrested after abandoning a white Alfa Romeo and attempting to escape on foot, while others remain at large.

Watch above via X.

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