Inclusion Criteria:  Age ≥ 18 years Chest pain for > 20 min with an electrocardiographic ST-segment elevation ≥ 1 mm in two or more contiguous electrocardiogram (ECG) leads or an infero-lateral myocardial infarction (MI) with ST segment depression of ≥ 1 mm in ≥ 2 of leads V1-3 with a positive terminal T wave. TIMI Thrombus Grade ≥ 3 in the infarct related artery. In cases where TIMI Thrombus Grade is equal to 5 (i.e. TIMI 0 flow in the infarcted artery), TIMI Thrombus Grade of at least 3 has to be re-confirmed with AWI. Patients showing TIMI Thrombus Grade of less than 3 upon AWI are no longer eligible for randomization. Start of intervention within 8 h of symptom onset Subject is willing and able to provide informed consent prior to the intervention  Exclusion Criteria:  Unconscious patients Infarct related artery diameter, at visual assessment, smaller than 2.5 mm Presence of severely calcified plaque(s) proximal to or at the site of the culprit lesion(s) Presence of extreme vessel tortuosity proximal to or at the site of the culprit lesion(s) Women of child-bearing potential (e.g. below 55 years of age, who have not undergone tubal ligation, ovariectomy or hysterectomy and last menstruation within the last 12 months) Stent thrombosis as culprit lesion Previous myocardial infarction in the same territory (i.e. same target vessel) Participation in another interventional clinical trial