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  "path": "/news/world/italy-news-armed-gang-police-cash-van-italian-job-attack-mafia",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-10T06:00:25.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Hundreds of anti-Ice protesters descend on Winter Olympic opening ceremony before JD Vance arrival",
    "Italy announces major crackdown after mass far-left riot injures 100 police officers",
    "'Russian cyberattacks' targeting Winter Olympic Games foiled by Italian authorities",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nAn armed organised gang pretending to be police officers have blown up a security van on a motorway in Italy.\n\nFootage shows a group of men driving a dark blue Alfa Romeo with a blue light on the roof.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe criminals, sporting balaclavas to hide their identities, blocked the motorway with a truck, which was then set alight.\n\nThis forced the cash van to come to a stop - and prevented police from arriving on the scene.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nRobbers were then seen running around to the back of the van before blowing its doors off with explosives - in a blast reminiscent of the iconic Italian Job scene.\n\nPolice then arrived and exchanged shots with the group.\n\nEvents were filmed by passing motorists who were stunned as the chaos unfolded.\n\n\"Look, look, look, look…They are robbing the van, look,\" said one onlooker who caught the explosion with his phone.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe modern-day highway robbery took place on Monday morning between the cities of Lecce and Brindisi in the southern region of Puglia.\n\nOnlookers told police that the culprits fled at high speed in their Alfa Romeo.\n\nThe police intercepted the car and arrested two men near the town of Squinzano.\n\nNow, authorities are looking for four more men who are believed to have participated in the raid.\n\n### LATEST FROM ITALY:\n\n\n\n\n  * Hundreds of anti-Ice protesters descend on Winter Olympic opening ceremony before JD Vance arrival\n  * Italy announces major crackdown after mass far-left riot injures 100 police officers\n  * 'Russian cyberattacks' targeting Winter Olympic Games foiled by Italian authorities\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTraffic was closed in both directions while authorities carried out investigations.\n\nThe gunmen are believed to have come from Foggia, a town in Puglia with a reputation for being the home turf of gangs which regularly hold up security vans.\n\nPuglia also serves as the home of one of Italy's four \"branches\" of the mafia - the \"Sacra Corona Unita\" group which runs out of cities like Brindisi and Lecce.\n\nNicola Magno, the secretary general of the regional police union, said he was concerned for the safety of officers in the Carabinieri, one of Italy's main law enforcement agencies and a branch of the Italian armed forces.\n\nHe said: \"Once again, Carabinieri officers find themselves on the front line of a criminal action that is extremely violent and well-organised.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"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.\n\n\"It is only thanks to the professionalism, cool heads and sense of duty of our colleagues that we are not talking about a tragedy.\"\n\nMr Magno said police need better vehicles, training and equipment to grapple with criminal gangs.\n\nIt is currently unknown how much money the van's robbers made off with.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Armed gang posing as police blow up cash van in extraordinary 'Italian Job' attack"
}