by A Real Crime, Straight Out of a Movie
This mobile phone video could easily be mistaken for a scene from a big-budget Hollywood action movie. However, this is reality. Earlier this week in Italy, a group of masked attackers, using a fake Alfa Romeo police car, stopped traffic on a highway and attacked an armored van. They even engaged in a shootout with local police while trying to flee the scene.
Two suspects were arrested following a police chase.
Attack Details
The ambush occurred around 8 a.m. on Monday on a major highway in the Apulia region. Stunning footage captured by a passerby shows the precise moment the gang surrounded the armored vehicle and detonated explosives, blowing off its doors and roof. Immediately afterward, they proceeded on foot, brandishing AK-47 assault rifles in broad daylight.
Several attackers were in balaclavas and either all-black clothing or white overalls, according to witnesses. The van itself belonged to the private security company Battistolli, and debris from the explosion scattered parts of the vehicle as smoke enveloped the scene.
Authorities believe the gang, consisting of about a dozen people, blocked the highway by setting a truck on fire and used cars with flashing blue lights to pose as police. This forced the armored van to stop. At least one of the cars reportedly impersonating law enforcement was a silver Alfa Romeo Stelvio.
la rapina portavalori oggi lunedi 0922025 osservate pic.twitter.com/ZlcwODVKag — CRUDELIA DE MON (@Crudeli45198835) February 9, 2026
Shootout and Chase
Real police soon arrived at the scene, engaging in a firefight with the masked thieves. A chase ensued through the town of Squinzano. Police managed to arrest two men who fled in the Alfa Romeo, but others remain at large. No one was injured during the shootout or the chase.
Police also found a Jeep near the scene, though its role in the operation is unclear.
Aftermath and Investigation
It is unclear how much money the brazen thieves managed to steal from the armored van. Some reports indicate they escaped with a significant haul, while others suggest they failed to steal anything. Regardless, local authorities are now hunting for the remaining fugitives.
Investigators believe the gang may originate from Foggia, a province in Apulia known for a high level of organized crime. According to the Savip security guards’ union, between 2019 and 2023, attacks on armored vehicles in the region led to the theft of valuables worth over 1.6 billion euros.
Following the robbery, local General Secretary Nicola Magno stated that the Carabinieri once again found themselves on the front line of an extremely violent and organized criminal act. The fact that the patrol was shot at demonstrates the high level of risk officers are exposed to daily. And only thanks to the professionalism, self-control, and sense of duty of their colleagues are we not talking about a tragedy today.
Similar incidents in Apulia are not isolated; they point to a systemic problem of organized crime in the region, which is not afraid to resort to extremely bold and public methods. The use of fake police cars and explosives on a busy highway indicates careful planning and a willingness to take great risks, complicating the prevention of such attacks. The effectiveness of the actions of the real law enforcement officers, who were able to respond quickly and detain some of the criminals without casualties, remains a key factor in countering such crime.
