ATM blasts in Graz: Perpetrators on the run after 14th attack!

ATM blasts in Graz: Perpetrators on the run after 14th attack!

In the night of Thursday, Graz was again hit by a series of ATM boards. Around 3 a.m. there was an explosion in the district of Eggenberg, in which an ATM was shaken according to the police. "We automatically received the alarm," Sabri Yorgun confirmed from the Styria State Police Directorate. The perpetrators are still on the run while a large search was initiated. Fortunately, nobody was injured, but the damage to property is significant, according to the "crown". This has already been the 14th demolition in Austria since the beginning of the year, which illustrates the alarming accumulation of such acts.

alarming situation throughout Austria

The explosions are not only limited to Graz: according to media reports, there are regular incidents in several federal states. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) found that there were already more attempts this year and accomplished ATM protrudes than in the entire past year. In Styria, the current series is particularly worrying, since the perpetrators are apparently organized by "five to six different groups" that act across national borders, according to ORF.AT.

The Styrian banks have now reacted to the threat, but do not want to disclose any precise details about the increased security measures. Some banks, like the Post, have already removed money from certain ATMs and closed the foyers after dark to deter potential perpetrators. Despite these measures, the exact amount of the captured money remains unknown, since this is not communicated for investigative reasons.

The explosions represent an international phenomenon that has also adopted alarming proportions in Germany and the Netherlands. The perpetrators are often active across national borders, with the Netherlands being suspected as the starting point for a variety of explosions. The high number of ATM in Austria now exceeds that of classic bank robberies, a development that continues to be major challenges for the security authorities.