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It is hard to forget the insane bank heist from last week, where a group of about 20 heavily armed commandos using bombs, drones, and human shields seized control of the downtown financial block in Araçatuba, Brazil.
The robbery was incredibly well-planned and at such a large scale that the gang managed to attack three banks in the centre of the city, with only three suspects arrested shortly after.
To recap, three people were killed and many more were traumatised as the gang rounded them up to be used as human shields, bound to the top of the getaway vehicles so as to dissuade police from interfering with their escape.
To further distract authorities and cover their escape, the gang had also planted at least 20 explosives wired to motion detectors, which detonated around the city.
The footage is harrowing:
Dr Robert J. Bunker, the Director of Research and Analysis for a strategic consultancy Futures, LLC, spoke to The Daily Beast about the ordeal:
“It is surreal and seemed like something out of a Hollywood scriptwriter’s wildest imagination,”
“I can’t ever remember another bank heist incident anywhere in the world where bystanders were rounded up and tied to the fleeing vehicles of the robbers.”
This heist was next level, but it has become common enough that Brazilians are calling the phenomena the “Novo Cangaço”, (roughly translated to “New Struggle” in English) which refers to the violent banditry that spread across parts of Brazil in the 1920s and 1930s:
The original Cangaço sought to battle back against widespread poverty and inequality. It involved Robin-Hood like figures who plagued wealthy landowners, donated to the poor, and pushed the government to jumpstart economic reforms.
Dr José de Arimatéia da Cruz said that the new Cangaço’s tactics are similar but the strategies they employ are a little different:
“The difference today is that the traditional cangaceiros [peasant bandits] were fighting against politicians. The Novo Cangaço today are attacking banks and are most basically interested in money for different purposes.”
To add to the “new struggle”, a gang called the First Capital Command, known as PCC for its acronym in Portuguese, is taking over in a big way:
The PCC is responsible for several of the major bank assaults in Brazil, and has even struck banks over the border in Paraguay. Brazilian police have also long identified PCC as “the nation’s largest drug gang.”
Bunker estimated the gang has over 10 000 members and is “expanding its international reach.”
Another incident took place in Criciúma last year with notable similarities to the attack in Araçatuba:
During that heist about 30 armed thieves planted some 70 pounds of explosives and forced naked hostages to lie in the road, blocking traffic to thwart a police response.
They also flung stolen cash into the streets to aid their escape, as crowds rushed to gather up the bills.
They made off with about 125 million reais (more than R330 million), according to a report by InSight Crime, an investigative non-profit with a focus on organised crime in the Americas:
…“these attacks have grown beyond compare, seemingly becoming a competition between criminals about who can pull off the most dangerous heist, with utter disregard for human life.”
Bunker added that this degree of violence is approaching the “Mad Max level,” especially with people being tied to moving vehicles:
Bunker went on, saying that: “These bank assaults are sophisticated and suggest high levels of operational competence. The planners have paramilitary and/or military training with an understanding of tactical actions, raids, urban channeling, and escape and evasion.”
The Araçatuba heist isn’t even the most recent, with a September 6 attack also taking place in the coastal town of Salina das Margaridas.
Brazilian media outlet Metro1 reported that this attack marked the 38th such bank robbery for the year, adding that these “Mad Max level” attacks have risen by 170% since last year.
[source:dailybeast]
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