A BULLET-PROOF Prosegur van transporting an undisclosed sum of money was robbed using explosives near the Aljustrel service station, along the A2 motorway, during the early hours of Wednesday morning, August 20.
The vehicle, belonging to security company Prosegur, was transporting an undisclosed sum of money to refill cash machines in the Algarve, when it was made to stop by three cars on the left hand lane of the motorway.
During the robbery, one car allegedly overtook the security van, forcing it into the left hand lane and shooting the front windscreen before shooting two tyres.
A second car pulled up alongside the security vehicle and a third car stopped behind, blocking it in to place explosives on the back doors.
According to Portuguese news agency Lusa, these were C-4 plastic explosives, which are commonly used by the military.
A spokesman for the GNR said that the robbery was carried out by five armed people.
Two Prosegur employees were in the van at the time of the robbery, one of whom was taken to hospital with light injuries, while the other was unharmed.
After the robbery, a 200 metre stretch of the left hand lane of the motorway was closed for around eight hours, while the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) investigated the crime scene.
A spokesman for the PJ told The Resident: “The PJ are currently investigating this case, which has been put under the secrecy of justice.”
The security van was towed to the company headquarters in Évora that same day.
A spokesman for Prosegur said: “The company is very sad about what happened. It is a clear sign of the new types of crimes that are emerging in Portugal.”
The spokesman also described the crime as “particularly unusual and violent.”
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