Police Archives - The International

ATM Explosions: Dutch Gang Among Suspected Groups

At least one of the groups behind the blasts is believed to be a well-organised criminal gang from the Netherlands.

The man is believed to have hidden in the aircraft’s toilet for the entire journey before being detained in Shenzhen and sent back to Austria.

The two ATMs were blown up early on Monday morning at a shopping centre as a wave of attacks on cash machines continues.

Officers, particularly those on patrol, now also have access to smartphones with upgraded policing apps.

The incident follows a troubling series of ATM explosions across several districts in Vienna, with attacks also reported in Lower Austria.

The attack comes just days after an incident in Munich, where an Afghan asylum seeker drove his car into a crowd.

The driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.9 per mille after police were alerted to a passenger who had fallen inside his tram.

The device used in the attempted robbery was a fake – rigged together from a headphone cable and a laptop charger.

Nearly 1.36 million operations – or roughly 3,700 a day – were carried out in response to distress calls last year.

The Dutch national is reportedly the head of the “Rammbock” gang, which has been linked to a series of jewel thefts and burglaries.