Gunmen Nab $5 Million in Brazil Plane Heist
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SAO PAULO, Brazil — A gang of 10 heavily armed men stormed the busy regional airport here Thursday, holding up an armored plane and then disappearing into morning rush-hour traffic, police said.
The thieves, armed with rifles and submachine guns, overpowered security guards and made off with 5.56 million reals, or about $5 million, a police officer at the airport said.
Police said the gang was driving a van and a car that had airport identification seals painted on the side and reached the runway through the cargo entrance. After boarding the plane and taking the money, the gang took one of the security guards hostage and fled.
Police said the heist took no more that five minutes and that the guard was later released.
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