ATM blasted again in Arnoldstein - police on the hunt!

ATM blasted again in Arnoldstein - police on the hunt!

Arnoldstein, Österreich - On April 2, 2025 in the morning, a ATM was blown up in Hart near Arnoldstein. Like the Gailtal Journal , a loud bang in the village led to a large-scale police operation. The extent of the destruction is clearly recognizable in photos taken by the scene: the ATM is no longer recognizable, and parts of the device are scattered on the street as well as on the opposite side of the street. The emergency Services also found parts of the ATM at the nearby ENI petrol station.

officers of the State Criminal Police Office examined the crime scene. The incident is already the second demolition of the specific ATM, since it was also the goal of an attack in 2019. So far, if the alleged perpetrators are. The police have launched a major search in which a police helicopter and dog handler are in use. Several Carinthian media took up the incident and report on it.

background to the ATM series in Austria

The explosion in Arnoldstein is part of a worrying trend in Austria. According to the vienna.at , there have been 14 explosions of ATMs until March 6, 2025. In response to this increase, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) Founded the "SOKO ATM" to better combat organized perpetrators and increase security.

Current surveys indicate that the perpetrators come from the Netherlands and usually use simple, inconspicuous and fast methods. In particular, the "Hit and Run" tactics enables you to flee after the deeds with high-motorized vehicles that reach speeds of over 200 km/h. The police have found that these groups, which often occur in masked form and use special adhesive tapes to avoid DNA traces, are becoming more and more sophisticated.

In this context, it is important to emphasize that Austrian banks strengthen their security measures. Experts warn that the explosions take place not only in regions close to the border, but also in urban areas, which makes the prevention efforts considerably more difficult. The Moroccan mafia, also known as "Mocro-Mafia", is often mentioned as a possible group of perpetrators, although the migration background is not the decisive criterion in these offenses.