In a large police operation in recent weeks, eighteen Dutch citizens have been arrested on suspicion of multiple ATM bombings in Germany. According to Europol, this involves a criminal group specializing in attacks with explosives.
Dutch and German police worked together with Europol to track down the criminal group. The eighteen arrests were made between April 17 and May 27. One of them took place in Spain. Most of the suspects come from Utrecht or Amsterdam.
The suspects are said to have robbed ATMs in Germany in a “highly organized manner.” For example, they would cooperate with other groups of criminals and use explosives. According to Europol, the attacks can also be linked to criminal activities in Switzerland and France.
At least 1.2 million euros were stolen in the robberies, of which approximately 290,000 euros were seized. In addition, hundreds of thousands of euros in cash and cryptocurrencies were confiscated.
In dozens of house searches, the police also confiscated weapons and vehicles. They also found explosives, jerrycans of gasoline, SIM cards and license plates.