'Heist of the century': Brazilian gang hits security vault and police HQ in Paraguay

Using automatic rifles, dynamite and anti-aircraft guns, around 50 gangsters turned city into a battle zone before fleeing in speedboats with about $8m

Brazilian gangsters have taken armed robbery to a lethal new level with a cross-border attack on a Paraguayan security vault and police headquarters using automatic rifles, dynamite and anti-aircraft guns in what local media have described as “the heist of the century”.

One police officer was murdered in the assault and three suspects were killed by police after they fled the scene and crossed the river border in speedboats with an estimated $8m.

Using diversion strategies and a degree of firepower usually reserved for wars, around 50 gangsters – believed to be from the First Capital Command (better known by its Portuguese acronym PCC) – turned the city of Ciudad del Este into a battle zone for more than three hours early on Monday morning.

Soon after midnight, they torched vehicles to block access roads into the police headquarters, which they then raked with gunfire and bombarded with grenades and molotov cocktails filled with bullets to give the impression of a larger attacking force.

But the attack on the police was only a diversion: soon after it was launched, another, larger group of gunmen assaulted the headquarters of a private security company, Prosegur.

They killed a policeman, who was reportedly asleep in his car, then choked the main road outside the building with burning cars and shot at any vehicle that approached. Anti-aircraft guns were deployed in case the police tried to approach the area by helicopter, though that did not happen.

Using explosives, the thieves blasted the main concrete wall housing access to the vault. It is unclear how many they were able to break into, but they reportedly stole $8m of the $49m held inside. Closed-circuit cameras show the heavily armed assailants wearing ski masks and speaking Portuguese.

A battle then ensued with police who had been called to the scene. But the gangsters – who had infrared sights and automatic weapons – were more heavily armed. The officers only had their regulation handguns because the arsenal at headquarters was blocked.

Local residents recorded the sounds and flashes of the confrontation on cellphones. For more than two hours, the streets echoed with gunfire and explosions. At least three bystanders and one policeman were injured.

“The security firm’s premises have been destroyed in an attack caused chaos and terror in the city,” Justo Zacarias, the governor of surrounding Alto Parana state, told reporters.

The thieves split into three groups and drove off in security vans, lobbing explosives and spikes behind them to prevent anyone from following. Police later found an abandoned van containing heavy weapons, traces of blood and bulletproof vests.

They are thought to have crossed the Parana river in speedboats.

Brazilian police intercepted one group 50km (31 miles) on the other side of the border in Itaipulandia, killing three and arresting four others.

Six others were arrested in Brazil on Tuesday.

Authorities on both sides of the border have stepped up the search for the remaining gangsters. Brazil’s president, Michel Temer, said that his country will provide “all necessary resources” to find the criminals.

Paraguayan police chief Luis Rojas said it was possible the attackers had help inside the police force. Several officers have been suspended pending an investigation.