An armed gang posing as police blew up a security van on a motorway dubbed the modern day “Italian Job” on Sunday.
Video footage shows armed men driving a black Alfa Romeo which had a blue light on the roof and forced the cash security van to a stop.
The organised crime gang wore balaclavas and blocked the motorway with a large truck which was set a blaze blocking access for the police to attend the scene.
Robbers then blew the doors off the rear of the security van using explosives as seen in the original1969 British comedy caper, the Italian Job movie starring Michael Caine.
The real police arrived and an exchange of shots were fired between them and the organised crime gang.
An onlooker who recorded the explosion said, “Look, look, look, look…They are robbing the van, look.”
🔴 Italie : Un commando lourdement armé attaque deux fourgons blindés, échange de tirs avec les carabiniers
Deux suspects ont été interpellés, les autres sont en fuite, la spectaculaire tentative de braquage dans le sud du pays a échoué https://t.co/FzJlsVOOhv pic.twitter.com/UXvB1MDBBI
— Actu17 (@Actu17) February 9, 2026
The incident took place between the cities of Lecce and Brindisi in the southern region of Puglia and police later intercepted the Alfa Romeo near to the town of Squinzano where two were arrested.
Police are now looking for four more men who took part in the robbery.
Nicola Magno, the secretary general of the regional police union is concerned over the safety of his officers, as Puglia is home to four of Italy’s “branches” of the mafia, including the “Scara Corona Unita” group, GB News reports.
Magno said, “Once again, Carabinieri officers find themselves on the front line of a criminal action that is extremely violent and well-organised.
The fact that a patrol was targeted with shots shows the high level of risk that our officers are being exposed to on a regular basis.
“It is only thanks to the professionalism, cool heads and sense of duty of our colleagues that we are not talking about a tragedy.”
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