With 14 ATM explosions recorded by March 6, Austria has seen an exceptionally high number of such crimes this year. The Federal Criminal Police (BK) responded by establishing the “SOKO Bankomat” task force. While ATM attacks had occurred before, the current criminal groups are said to act “more efficiently, unobtrusively, and faster,” explained SOKO leader Dieter Csefan in an interview with APA, and they are likely from the Netherlands.
The BK now aims to show these criminals that “there is no room for such crimes in Austria,” and for this, they need the “banks as close partners, because only together can we combat this phenomenon.” Csefan pointed out that this had already been achieved in the Netherlands, which is why these groups have now moved to the German-speaking regions. Austrian banks are also retrofitting – some of this has already happened. One challenge is that the explosions no longer occur only in border areas but also in urban areas, making preventive containment naturally more difficult.
It is often reported in the media that the Moroccan Mafia (“Mocro-Mafia”) is behind these crimes. However, according to international intelligence, while many members of these criminal organizations often have a migration background, this is not always the case. “The group is estimated to have around 1,000 members, who are further divided into smaller groups,” said Csefan. These groups are trained in the Netherlands and travel across Europe to commit crimes, such as those by a group suspected of committing burglary and an ATM explosion in Lower Austria in 2023. Three Dutch nationals were sentenced to up to nine years in prison by the regional court in Wiener Neustadt last October, though one of them, a 29-year-old, escaped in February from the Justizanstalt Wiener Neustadt.
Use of Pyrotechnics and “Hit and Run” Tactics
The previous peak of ATM crimes in Austria was recorded in 2018, with 59 attacks. At that time, ATMs were still chained and torn down from the foyers. Today, however, the perpetrators use pyrotechnics and a “hit and run” tactic: “The perpetrators use high-powered vehicles with 700 to 800 horsepower,” explained Csefan. Even an Audi RS6, which comes with 560 horsepower as standard, gets further tuning and with these vehicles, they drive at speeds exceeding 200 km/h, even in urban areas. To be safe, the vehicle occupants are also equipped with lasers to blind any potential pursuers. It remains unclear whether the perpetrators stay in the country or immediately flee abroad. “From car theft, we know that they tend to disappear locally,” Csefan said, adding that they would continue their journey after one to two days once the pressure from the search has eased.
The modus operandi of these criminal groups is highly professional. According to Csefan’s explanations, it is a division of labor, with logistics experts scouting the escape routes in advance. The executing criminals wear overalls, are masked, and the leaving of DNA traces is prevented using tape. How many groups, mostly with members in their early 20s, are actually active in Austria is still to be determined by the “SOKO Bankomat.” Csefan also noted that there have been “copycat” criminals so far. As part of the task force, experts from the affected regional criminal police offices have been consulted since March 1.
SOKO’s Goal: A Complete Picture of Austria’s Situation
The goal is to “compile data and create a complete picture of the situation in Austria,” Csefan said, in order to compare findings with international partners and identify cross-border groups. “The most important thing is that law enforcement works shoulder to shoulder,” he added, pointing out that this had already been successful in the previous year, as seen in the arrest made in July 2024 in the Czech Republic, linked to three ATM heists in Lower Austria – the suspect was also Dutch.
