Brazilian police kill seven suspected of planning tollbooth robbery

At least seven people were killed during a shootout in an anti-theft operation carried out by police in the Brazilian state of Goiás, local authorities said today.

The victims are alleged members of a criminal group, “with members from several states,” planning to rob the gas station on a busy toll road in the municipality of Cristalina, near the country’s capital of Brasilia, the Goiás Military Police said.

Local authorities claim that the operation came from information gathered by the intelligence service, which obtained indications about the group’s planned robbery and was supported by the Special Operations Battalion of the Military Police of the Federal District from Brasilia.

The police units identified that the group consisted of 12 people possessing weapons of high military power and were located Tuesday night on a farm in the municipality of Nova Gama, according to local authorities.

Upon arriving at the scene, police teams claim they were met with gunfire.

As a result of the shooting, four suspects died on the scene, and three others were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

During the operation, 11 firearms were seized, four stolen cars were recovered, explosives were to be detonated in the frustrated attack on the tollbooth, and several tools.

No one was arrested in the police action.

With information from Lusa

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