Robbers escape with $15M in Chile airport heist

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) – Robbers stole more than $15 million from an armored truck at the international airport in Chile’s capital Santiago, according to the country's police.

Police officials said an armed group of seven to 10 robbers ambushed the truck in the cargo area of the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport on Monday.

They managed to escape with $14 million and €1 million ($1.2 million) in cash, making it one of the largest heists in Chile’s history.

Hector Espinosa, a top official of Chile’s investigative police, said it was a “well-planned” robbery by a “professional” group.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Chile’s interior minister, he stressed that entering the airport was not an easy task.

“There are proper security measures in place but they managed to get through all of them; that is something we are worried about,” said Espinosa.

He added that all resources were being used for the investigation and the criminals would be caught “as quickly as possible”.

The Santiago airport was the site of a similar robbery in 2014, when $10 million were stolen from a security van.