Heavily-armed robbers posing as police blocked an Italian highway and blew up an armoured van during a brazen raid in southern Italy, before exchanging gunfire with police.
The attack unfolded on State Road 613 in the Puglia region, where masked gunmen armed with Kalashnikov rifles shut down the road in front of shocked motorists.
The gang blocked the road by setting a truck on fire, while using vehicles with flashing lights to impersonate police and move in on the armoured van.
Dramatic footage shows the bandits crouching behind a car as the armoured vehicle explodes on the road, with flames and debris billowing into the air.
Other clips filmed by motorists show at least six masked suspects, some wearing white overalls and carrying weapons, moving between vehicles as terrified drivers watched on.
The targeted vehicle belonged to Battistolli, which operates armoured cash transport services across Italy.
Other drivers caught up in the ambush were also robbed, according to Italian media.
Heavily-armed robbers posing as police blocked an Italian highway and blew up an armoured van during a brazen raid this morning in southern Italy. Dramatic footage shows the bandits crouching behind a car as the armoured vehicle explodes on the road
The attack unfolded between the small towns of Cerano and San Pietro Vernotico, where masked gunmen armed with Kalashnikov rifles shut down the road in front of shocked motorists
Other clips filmed by motorists show at least six masked suspects, some wearing white overalls and carrying weapons, moving between vehicles as terrified drivers looked on
The targeted vehicle belonged to Battistolli, which operates armoured cash transport services across Italy
The suspects then fled, triggering a chase with the Carabinieri, during which a police car was hit by three gunshots and an unmarked vehicle was rammed.
Officers responding to reports of an Alfa Romeo travelling at high speed later found the car abandoned in the countryside, arresting a man who tried to escape on foot nearby.
He was detained along with another gang member who also attempted to flee.
The robbery was ultimately unsuccessful, with the gang failing to escape with any cash from the van, according to local reports.
The bandits hail from the Foggia area, known in the news for being the birthplace of gangs specialising in armed robberies of armoured vehicles, Italian news outlet Sky TG24 reported.
Authorities confirmed no one was injured and said police are hunting at least two more suspects, with other gang members car-jacking passing motorists to aid their escape.
The Puglia regional secretary general of Un Arma, Nicola Magno said: ‘Once again, the Carabinieri found themselves on the front lines of an extremely violent and organized criminal act.
‘The fact that a patrol was hit by gunfire demonstrates the high level of risk to which our officers are exposed on a daily basis.
‘It is only thanks to the professionalism, composure, and sense of duty of our colleagues that today we are not talking about a tragedy.’