According to Europol, explosive attacks on ATMs in Europe are increasing dramatically and are becoming increasingly dangerous. The police are very concerned about the increasing violence, says Europol spokeswoman Claire Georges in The Hague. “Extremely high explosives are increasingly being used that can even collapse buildings and kill innocent people.”
“These are modern bank robberies,” said the spokeswoman. Banks had little money left. In vending machines, however, the gangs were able to steal hundreds of thousands of euros relatively quickly.
“Extremely ruthless”
Innocent civilians are also increasingly endangered, the spokeswoman said. Many ATMs are located in supermarkets or high streets. The perpetrators are extremely unscrupulous, the spokeswoman said. “They’re not interested in people, they just care about the money.”
Criminals specially trained
The researchers noticed this development in many European countries, the spokeswoman said. This also included Germany, Southern Europe and the Baltic States. Such attacks occur again and again in Austria.
Well-organized criminal gangs would have specialized in these bombings and would also train criminals in a targeted manner. Last year, with the help of Europol, investigators even discovered a training center for automatic demolition near Utrecht.
The criminals would usually haunt an entire region in very fast cars and blow up various machines. They often operated internationally in neighboring countries. For example, about half of the suspects for attacks in Germany in 2021 came from the Netherlands.
Ink makes cash useless
Exact figures for the whole of Europe are not yet available, as EU member states only report international cases to the European police authority. In the Netherlands, just as many explosions had been registered in September as in the entire year before. Amsterdam in particular was hit by powerful explosions in residential areas.
According to Europol, France is successful in the fight against the explosions. There, the ATMs would be prepared with special ink, so that the stolen money would become useless.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
