cormack12
Gold Member
Source: https://scarcity-studios.com/2021/08/30/brazil-bank-robbers-plant-bombs-around-city/
Bank robbers with military hardware strapped civilian hostages to the outside of their cars as human shields during a huge raid in Brazil that saw at least three people killed.
Around 20 robbers armed with machine guns, proximity bombs and drones are thought to have raided three banks in the centre of Araçatuba city, 290 miles from Sao Paulo, starting around midnight.
Raiders attacked the local police headquarters and blocked roads into the city using burned-out cars to stop reinforcements from arriving, before kidnapping locals to use as human shields.
At least three died in the raid including two civilians and one robber, Brazilian media reported, while two people were arrested.
The fate of most of the hostages, including those strapped to the vehicles, is unclear. One woman who said she had been kidnapped at gunpoint and thrown in a truck told journalists she had escaped by running into a nearby hotel.
Speaking to G1, the woman said: ‘We were returning from a party. They stopped the car and… threw me on the ground, they threw us into a truck, they kidnapped us.
‘We were praying all the way. They stopped us at the bank, pointed the gun in my face several times. I had to beg for my life, get help. I had to escape, otherwise they would kill me.
‘I begged for my life, showed me my waist, they saw I had [no weapon]. Thank God I managed to run away, I entered a hotel. They were heavily armed. They pointed R15, AK 47 in my face.’
The entire city has since been placed on lockdown with police warning that bombs have been scattered through the streets and residents should stay inside.
One photo shows what appears to be a sophisticated bomb left in the street with a proximity sensor attached – meaning it will detonate if anybody gets too close.
The raid began when the robbers hijacked and burned at least four vehicles, using the wrecks to block roads.
One was placed outside the headquarters of the local military police – trapping officers inside – while two more were placed on the main highway.
Raiders then moved to the city centre where a fourth burned-out vehicle was dumped near a string of banks.
Raiders then struck branches of the Banco do Brasil, Banco Safra and Caixa Econômica, taking an unknown amount of cash.
It was then that they started taking hostages – holding people up at gunpoint before strapping them to the outside of their vehicles.
Bombs fitted with infrared proximity sensors were then scattered along the escape route to stop people following them.
At least four people were injured in the shooting, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo site, which did not give any indication of their condition.
One person was shot during the raid while another, a cyclist, was hit by one of the infrared bombs.
Bank robbers with military hardware strapped civilian hostages to the outside of their cars as human shields during a huge raid in Brazil that saw at least three people killed.
Around 20 robbers armed with machine guns, proximity bombs and drones are thought to have raided three banks in the centre of Araçatuba city, 290 miles from Sao Paulo, starting around midnight.
Raiders attacked the local police headquarters and blocked roads into the city using burned-out cars to stop reinforcements from arriving, before kidnapping locals to use as human shields.
At least three died in the raid including two civilians and one robber, Brazilian media reported, while two people were arrested.
The fate of most of the hostages, including those strapped to the vehicles, is unclear. One woman who said she had been kidnapped at gunpoint and thrown in a truck told journalists she had escaped by running into a nearby hotel.
Speaking to G1, the woman said: ‘We were returning from a party. They stopped the car and… threw me on the ground, they threw us into a truck, they kidnapped us.
‘We were praying all the way. They stopped us at the bank, pointed the gun in my face several times. I had to beg for my life, get help. I had to escape, otherwise they would kill me.
‘I begged for my life, showed me my waist, they saw I had [no weapon]. Thank God I managed to run away, I entered a hotel. They were heavily armed. They pointed R15, AK 47 in my face.’
The entire city has since been placed on lockdown with police warning that bombs have been scattered through the streets and residents should stay inside.
One photo shows what appears to be a sophisticated bomb left in the street with a proximity sensor attached – meaning it will detonate if anybody gets too close.
The raid began when the robbers hijacked and burned at least four vehicles, using the wrecks to block roads.
One was placed outside the headquarters of the local military police – trapping officers inside – while two more were placed on the main highway.
Raiders then moved to the city centre where a fourth burned-out vehicle was dumped near a string of banks.
Raiders then struck branches of the Banco do Brasil, Banco Safra and Caixa Econômica, taking an unknown amount of cash.
It was then that they started taking hostages – holding people up at gunpoint before strapping them to the outside of their vehicles.
Bombs fitted with infrared proximity sensors were then scattered along the escape route to stop people following them.
At least four people were injured in the shooting, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo site, which did not give any indication of their condition.
One person was shot during the raid while another, a cyclist, was hit by one of the infrared bombs.