Truck forced off A1 in highway hijacking Thursday morning; Armed robbers at large

A truck driver was forced off the A1 highway near Muiden in an apparent armed robbery, police said, citing witness statements. The incident happened in broad daylight at about 10:45 a.m., and the truck was found about four hours later. Police have not divulged what, if anything, was stolen out of the truck.

The driver was headed eastbound on the A1 when different vehicles surrounded the truck and got the driver to pull over. “The occupants were threatened by several people with a firearm,” police said in a statement on social media.

At least one suspect then absconded with the truck, and accomplices fled in “several cars.” Witnesses contacted authorities, but the robbers managed to get away.

The truck driver was evaluated by paramedics, but was not hospitalized. It was not clear if there were any other passengers along for the ride.

Just after 2:45 p.m., police officers found the vehicle in Eemnes, Utrecht, about 25 kilometers away from the crime scene in Noord-Holland. The truck was discovered on Bisschopsweg, a stretch of the N414 just outside of Baarn.

That scene was cordoned off while police investigated in the area. There were no arrests announced.

“A search is underway for them,” police said. Anyone with information about the crime, or camera footage of the heist, should contact authorities, police said.

Police have not disclosed was taken in the robbery. “Much is still unclear,” a police spokesperson told ANP.