In the early hours of Thursday, March 23, 2023, inhabitants of the German town of Kronberg were awakened from sleep by multiple explosions.
Criminals detonated an ATM situated beneath a residential complex in the town centre.
The assault inflicted substantial damage on the structure and required the evacuation of its residents. Local media reports indicate that witnesses observed individuals attired in dark apparel fleeing in a black vehicle onto a nearby highway.
Thieves disappeared with 130,000 euros in cash during the crime. According to a report by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), they also caused an estimated collateral damage of half a million dollars.
Instead of conducting dramatic and difficult bank heists, organised crime groups in Europe have begun focussing on ATMs as a more easily obtainable unobtrusive target.
In Germany, the greatest economy in Europe, criminals have been detonating ATMs at a frequency exceeding one per day in recent years. In a nation where cash remains a dominant payment method, thefts may be highly lucrative, with perpetrators acquiring hundreds of thousands of euros in one occurrence.
Europol has intensified efforts to combat robberies by conducting extensive cross-border operations targeting the highly organised criminal organisations involved.
Earlier this month, officials from Germany, France, and the Netherlands apprehended three individuals affiliated with a criminal network responsible for executing explosive attacks against cash machines, according to a statement from Europol.
(Source: CNN)