A truck driver was robbed and forced to exit his vehicle at the Rodoane Mario Cobas intersection in São Paulo. The highway concession manager said the driver said he did not intend to get out of the vehicle because he believed he had a bomb strapped to his body.
Highway operator SPMAR told GLOBO that the driver was trapped inside the truck with a homemade bomb. The culprit is no longer there and the bomb squad is waiting to defuse the device.
The dealer also reported that the company’s team spotted the truck crossing the highway this morning and sent a vehicle to the scene. The driver was released from custody but refused to leave, claiming he had a homemade bomb strapped to his body.
The São Paulo Gendarmerie’s Special Tactical Action Group (GATE) is on the scene. The road is completely closed to the Presidente Dutola motorway, causing a 16-kilometre traffic jam.
The Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP) said in a statement that military road police were called in early Wednesday morning to respond to the incident.
“At the time, the driver contacted the highway control center and reported that he was the victim of a kidnapping and that there were explosives in the truck. Therefore, as a precautionary measure to guarantee the safety of users and service teams, it was decided to completely close the lanes in this section.”
The ministry said the location has been officially marked and isolated by the highway police and the case is still ongoing. He noted that “the competent authorities are monitoring the operations and are awaiting the arrival of specialized resources to take appropriate measures.”
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