ATM blasting in Arnoldstein: Police use helicopter!

ATM blasting in Arnoldstein: Police use helicopter!

In the early morning hours of April 2, 2025, an ATM occurred in the Austrian municipality of Arnoldstein. Waltraud Dullnigg, press spokeswoman for the state police directorate, confirmed the incident and announced a large -scale search for the perpetrators. Police helicopters, dog handlers and numerous emergency services are in use to support. Further information on the events will be expected shortly because the investigation is already in full swing. The situation in Arnoldstein is part of a threatening trend in Austria that has increased significantly in recent years. A special commission named "Soko ATM" was set up to counter this increased danger.

increasing explosions of ATMs

The number of ATMs in Austria increased to worrying 14 cases in 2023, which already exceeds the total for the entire year 2024 than there were only 13 explosions. This development is in contrast to the figures of previous years, in which 19 explosions were recorded in 2021 and 7 in 2020 in 2022, 8. The previous maximum values from 2018 and 2019 could soon be exceeded. The phenomenon is not new; As early as 2010 and 2011, there was a series of ATM boards and theft, which presented the authorities with great challenges. Investigators from at least five active perpetrators in the country report.

The special commission "SOKON ATM", which is under the direction of Dieter CSEFAN, has been set up to coordinate national and international investigations and to improve cooperation between the authorities and banks. This is considered a necessary measure, since banks have now increased their security measures and some ATMs have been temporarily shut down.

Legal steps against suspects

In connection with ATM blasting, the federal prosecutor has submitted an indictment against a Romanian citizen. Because of his participation in the demolition of two ATMs in the canton of Schaffhausen in 2021, this will be held responsible. In an incident in Wilchingen, CHF 37,380 and CHF 8550 were stolen, while the damage to property was about CHF 51,500. Another incident in Buchberg ended without prey, but left property damage of around 223,000 francs. The accused was arrested in Hungary and delivered to Switzerland, where he is now in custody.

The indictment against the Romanians includes serious offenses such as endangering explosives, qualified theft and the waste of a vehicle. It remains to be seen which further legal steps the authorities will initiate in order to combat the increasing crime around ATMs.

The situation remains tense, and the operations of the police and the investigation of the special commission "SOKO ATM" are of crucial importance in view of the dramatic increase in ATM boards.