Venezuela's Trujillanos soccer team bus hijacked, robbed at gunpoint

BOCA DE UCHIRE, Venezuela, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Venezuela's first division Trujillanos F.C. was robbed of "absolutely everything" -- including cameras, soccer balls and cleats -- by gunmen in the Anzoategui state.

The robbery occurred Monday in the town of Boca de Uchire about 2:30 a.m. in an ordeal that lasted for nearly 3 hours. No one was injured.

"Six subjects with weapons of high caliber and high power boarded the unit, abducting the group," the soccer team said in a statement. "The bus was diverted a kilometer and a half. They stole absolutely everything (cameras, laptops, uniforms, cleats, balls)."

The gunmen threatened to detonate grenades aboard the bus to leave no evidence if the bus had GPS, the team said.

The Association of Venezuelan Professional Soccer Clubs said in a statement Tuesday:

"Soccer teams, day after day, travel the country, most often by road, fully relying on the relevant security authorities ... Although none of the passengers suffered any physical injuries, we elevate a prayer for the speedy recovery of the emotional injuries that such events cause."