Not quite payday for man filmed stealing $12k of cash at airport

There's brazen, and then there's stealing cash from right under the nose of Italian airport security.

But one passenger at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome found the allure of bundles of money too much to resist as he walked through the security checkpoint.

CCTV footage showed the man waiting on the other side of the metal detectors as another passenger put two envelopes stuffed with cash in a tray to be checked.

A man has been caught on camera stealing envelopes of cash at an airport in Rome. (Polizia di Stato)

The second man was held up by security as his envelope is passed through the checkpoint.

The thief, on the other side, is seen to look around before picking up the envelopes and pocketing them.

The man was arrested before boarding his flight. (Polizia di Stato)

Police said the money totalled more than $12,000.

He was, however, arrested before he could board his flight to Russia, having allegedly hidden the money in a toilet roll holder.