Robbers blow up van in real-life Italian Job motorway heist

Masked robbers armed with Kalashnikovs held up an armoured truck on a motorway in southern Italy, blowing off its doors before making a getaway in a dramatic police chase.

The heist was carried out on the 613 state road between Lecce and Brindisi in Puglia shortly after dawn on Monday morning. Videos taken by motorists showed at least six masked men, some wearing white overalls, emerging from cars parked around the armoured van.

Some could be seen holding firearms and crouching behind cars as others approached the van. In scenes reminiscent of the cult 1969 film The Italian Job, an explosion then sent smoke and debris into the sky, ripping off the van’s back doors and roof.

Read more: The Times (UK)