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Dutch man charged with ATM explosions in Offenbach!
A 36-year-old Dutchman was charged with blowing up an ATM in Offenbach. Over 300,000 euros stolen.
Dutch man charged with ATM explosions in Offenbach!
A 36-year-old man from Utrecht is facing serious charges for blowing up two ATMs. The Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office filed charges after the accused was active on Bieberer Berg in Offenbach on May 5, 2023 and in the Alt-Erlaa Kaufpark in Vienna on January 21, 2025. During these explosions, the man is believed to have stolen more than 300,000 euros, while an uninvolved person was injured faz.net reported.
The suspicion is not unfounded: the use of explosives smuggled from the Czech Republic to Austria has taken on a worrying new dimension. The use of solid explosives, such as flash bang devices, has been increasingly seen since 2021, showing a dangerous trend towards increasingly violent tactics. In the last five years, the number of cases in Germany has been increasing, and especially in North Rhine-Westphalia, where criminal energies are coming to light.
Cross-border crime
The gangsters are often well organized and use high-powered vehicles to escape. A look at developments in the surrounding neighboring countries explains why crime is increasing so much in the region. In Switzerland alone, 18 vending machine explosions were documented between May 2024 and January 2025, mainly in rural and border regions. This makes fighting crime across state lines increasingly complicated netz-trends.de shows.
When looking at the numbers, it becomes clear that the perpetrators mostly come from the Netherlands and are escaping increasing deterrence from law enforcement authorities by crossing the borders. According to reports, there were 392 recorded ATM explosions in Germany in 2021 - a decrease of 5% compared to the previous year, but still the second highest number since 2005. Surprisingly, Dutch nationals make up 50.8% of the suspects.
The challenges of enlightenment
The complexity of such crimes makes successful investigation difficult. As soon as an explosion occurs, quick action is required to catch the perpetrators and avoid major damage. The BKA (Federal Criminal Police Office) has taken on this challenge and is increasingly developing measures to combat this type of crime. For this purpose, a joint declaration was signed in November 2022 in order to take concerted preventive measures, such as bka.de can be read.
The events surrounding the ATM blasts reveal a worrying pattern, and it remains to be seen how the authorities will act in the coming months to put a stop to these criminal activities.