Multimillion heist at a Colombian airport: the gang used jammers to cut communications
In Riohacha, an armed group robbed an armored cash truck at the airport and used signal jammers to cut communications and hamper the police response.
A heavily armed group carried out a commando-style assault at Almirante Padilla Airport in Riohacha, Colombia, making off with more than 2,000 million Colombian pesos that were to be shipped on a commercial flight. As the police confirmed, the criminals used cell phone signal jammers to cut communications during the robbery and hamper the response of the security forces.
The gang entered through a rear area of the airport, intercepted the armored cash truck and started an armed confrontation. As they fled, they set fire to one of the vehicles and part of the money, and abandoned weapons, bulletproof vests and more interference devices.
The incident exposed serious gaps in airport security protocols, and how easy it is to get hold of technology capable of knocking out critical communications in the middle of an emergency.
Sources: El Universal · Semana · 360 Radio