Eleven men have been arrested in Italy on suspicion of organizing an armed robbery during which two armored cash vehicles were attacked and millions of euros were stolen, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Investigators said last night that the armed group consisted mainly of livestock farmers and farmers aged between 33 and 54.
Many of the suspects are said to come from the province of Nuoro, a remote mountainous region of Sardinia, Italy's second largest island.
In late March, armed and masked robbers ambushed transporters of cash on a highway near San Vincenzo on the Tuscan coast, detonating explosives to pierce one of the vehicles and stealing 3 million euros, investigators said.
The crime was captured on video, which was released by the carabinieri. Investigators say the perpetrators spoke with a Sardinian accent and spent months specialising in armed robberies.
It is alleged that in preparation for the robbery they invented alibis and organised multiple vehicles.
After the robbery they fled in two previously stolen cars, as well as a third car confiscated during the attack, which also contained weapons taken from the security guards.
Police later found all three cars in remote areas near Pisa.
The large-scale coordinated police operations today were codenamed "Operation Dragon" and involved over 300 Carabinieri officers in Sardinia, Pisa and Bologna.
The suspects are accused of aggravated robbery, illegal possession of weapons and explosives and handling stolen goods.