On this day October 20, 1981, a violent robbery in Nanuet, New York shocked the nation when members of the Black Liberation Army and the Weather Underground group ambushed a Brink’s armored car. The attack resulted in the deaths of two police officers and an armored car guard during what was intended as a politically motivated heist. The robbery began at the Nanuet Mall, where armed assailants opened fire and stole over a million dollars before being intercepted at a roadblock in nearby Nyack.
The event was one of the most infamous domestic attacks of the early 1980s, representing a continuation of radical violence that had begun in the previous decade. The subsequent investigation led to multiple arrests and long prison sentences for several members of both underground groups. It also sparked a renewed national debate on domestic terrorism, security, and the fading remnants of the radical movements of the 1970s.
80s insight: The Brink’s robbery marked a turning point where the turbulence of the 1970s clashed with the more structured, law and order focus of the 1980s, signaling a cultural and political shift toward stability and enforcement.
The event was one of the most infamous domestic attacks of the early 1980s, representing a continuation of radical violence that had begun in the previous decade. The subsequent investigation led to multiple arrests and long prison sentences for several members of both underground groups. It also sparked a renewed national debate on domestic terrorism, security, and the fading remnants of the radical movements of the 1970s.
80s insight: The Brink’s robbery marked a turning point where the turbulence of the 1970s clashed with the more structured, law and order focus of the 1980s, signaling a cultural and political shift toward stability and enforcement.
