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Use after an ATM blown up (archive image)
Photo: Thomas Frey / dpa
The number of ATMs blown up has reached a record high in Germany.
Last year there were 414 such attacks, 18.6 percent more than in 2019, according to the federal situation report published by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Wiesbaden.
This is the highest value since statistical collection began in 2005. However, in most cases (256) it was just an attempt.
According to the information, the perpetrators captured a total of 17.1 million euros.
The property damage caused by them is, according to the police, significantly higher, in the "mid double-digit million range."
The number of suspects also rose from 132 in 2019 to 168. Two thirds of them came from the Netherlands.
The police suspect a connection with the tightened security measures of the Dutch banks, such as the nightly closing of branches and the installation of gas neutralization systems.
These measures would have caused perpetrators to take action in the neighboring country.
The western federal states near the border were most frequently affected by ATM blows.
By far the most offenses were in North Rhine-Westphalia with 176 cases, followed by Lower Saxony (45) and Baden-Württemberg (41).
Gas mixtures, which were introduced into the ATMs and ignited by the perpetrators, were mainly used for the blasting.
bbr / dpa