Bank Robbers Hold 25 Hostage in Naples and Escape Through Sewers

Armed robbers held 25 people hostage at a branch of Crédit Agricole in Naples, Italy, on Thursday, April 16, 2026, before escaping through a tunnel leading into the city’s sewer system. The incident began around 11:30 a.m. Local time when three armed individuals entered the bank in the Arenella district and took staff, customers and the manager hostage.

The hostages were confined to a room inside the bank during the two-hour ordeal. According to one hostage, a bank customer who spoke to local news site Fanpage.it, the robbers were armed but did not use violence. “I was in the bank when they entered; there was definitely three of them. They came and locked us – customers, employees and the manager – in a room. They were armed but they didn’t use violence,” the hostage said.

Emergency responders arrived swiftly and surrounded the bank. Police negotiated with the robbers while preparing to storm the building. Hostages were freed shortly after 1:30 p.m. Local time after police smashed windows to gain entry. By that time, the robbers had already escaped through a hole in the bank’s floor, which investigators believe led into the sewer system beneath Naples.