SOKO ATM strikes: Four perpetrators caught after blowing it up!

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Four perpetrators were arrested on August 19, 2025 after the ATM in Upper Austria. International cooperation led to further arrests.

Nach der Bankomatsprengung in Oberösterreich am 19. August 2025 konnten vier Täter festgenommen werden. Die internationale Zusammenarbeit führte zu weiteren Festnahmen.
After the ATM explosion in Upper Austria on August 19, 2025, four perpetrators were arrested. International cooperation led to further arrests.

SOKO ATM strikes: Four perpetrators caught after blowing it up!

On August 19, 2025, four people were arrested in Upper Austria after an ATM. This reports Exxpress.at. The fast arrests were related to comprehensive investigations by SOKO ATM, which, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK), has already worked intensively with European authorities in recent months.

A tip from the Netherlands was particularly crucial in solving the crimes, which led investigators to see suspicious people traveling to Austria. In this context, a total of 19 suspected gang members were held responsible, with further arrests being planned, as Andreas Holzer, director of the BK, confirmed. The suspects mostly come from the Netherlands and Germany and were arrested after blowing up an ATM in Hofkirchen im Traunkreis.

International cooperation underpins investigations

The arrests of August follow a series of international raids, which the public prosecutors Osnabrück and Düsseldorf as well as the BK carried out in cooperation with the State Criminal Police Office of North Rhine-Westphalia (LKA NRW) and the Dutch police in May 2025. 18 suspected members of a group were arrested, which should be responsible for various ATM blasts, as on bka.de is to be read.

The perpetrators act professionally and division of labor, which means that investigators indicate organized crime. In the past few months there has been an increase in the use of fixed explosives, which not only causes immense damage to property, but also risks for residents. The explosions often led to massive damage in the area, especially in residential areas.

Decrease in explosions, increasing security concerns

While the general trend leads to more intensive cooperation between the security authorities in Europe, there were also positive developments in the area of ​​ATM blasts. According to current surveys, 461 ATM sprinkles were registered in Germany in Germany, which represents a decline of 7.1 percent compared to the previous year. Despite this decline, the threat situation remains very high, especially in border areas, where more cases are also increasingly registered in neighboring countries such as Austria. The average prey amount was around 28.4 million euros, whereby the perpetrators prefer to select easily accessible ATMs with lower safety precautions bka.de.

Developments in the fight against crime show that increased cooperation at national and international levels remains necessary in order to sustainably destroy groups of perpetrators. BK director Holzer also estimates that the circle of suspects and helpers has grown to 600 to 1,000 people. The security authorities are continuing to work hard to clarify all crimes in Upper Austria, which is seen as a great success for security in the region.

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