ATM blasted: Police are looking for fleeting perpetrators in Neuwied!

ATM blasted: Police are looking for fleeting perpetrators in Neuwied!

In the early morning of February 11, 2025, an ATM was blown up in the Rhineland-Palatinate Großmaischeid in the Neuwied district. The police received an indication of the explosion around half past four. A dark VW Golf fled from the crime scene in which there were four men. It remains unclear whether the perpetrators have captured money. The police are asking the population to provide witnesses regarding suspicious observations in the past few days, since there has been an accumulation of ATM blasts in the region. Most recently, similar incidents took place in the South Palatinate and Bernkastel-Kues on the Moselle. This reports SWR .

The explosion in Großmaischeid is part of a worrying series of ATM sprinkles in Rhineland-Palatinate. The trend is particularly alarming that in the past two years the number of blasting has increased significantly. In 2023, a total of 50 ATMs in Rhineland-Palatinate were blown up, while in 2024 19 further incidents were documented. It is also particularly emphasized that a total damage of around 1.5 million euros was recorded in six out of twelve explosions in Rhineland-Palatinate.

international investigations

In order to counteract the increasing crime, an international commitment to alleged ATM sprinkles was launched under the leadership of the LKA Rhineland-Palatinate. Supported by BKA and Europol, extensive searches took place in Germany, the Netherlands and France. In the Netherlands, searches were carried out in cities such as Velsen, Haarlem and Amsterdam. So far, four arrest warrants have been enforced, including a 30-year-old man from Velsen and other accused from Edam and purmer.

In Germany, the investigation focused on two procedures by the Mainz public prosecutor. Police forces from North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt are also actively involved here. In France, the gendarmerie interior contributed to the search in Neuville Sur Saone. The suspects are suspected of being involved in numerous other explosions, the prey amounted to several million euros. According to Rheinland-Pfalz , extensive evidence has been ensured.

a growing phenomenon

Studies and research projects show that the increase in ATM blasting is an increasing problem in Germany. As part of an apprenticeship project at the Mainz University of Applied Sciences, the phenomenon was both analized and mapped. The students developed crime patterns and questioned to what extent a lower police presence in rural areas correlated with a higher risk of ATMs.

The knowledge from the investigations also show that there is a connection between the frequency of explosions and good transport links. The current incidents, such as the one in Großmaischeid, underline the need to combat this type of crime in the affected regions, as is reported in A analysis