Automatic sprinklers flee at 250 km/h on the Autobahn: in Hesse there is a big bang

Created: 04/03/2022 04:54

By: Christoph Agel

The police in Hesse have succeeded in striking the automatic sprinkler scene.

(symbol photo) © K. Schmitt/Fotostand/Imago

A chase from North Rhine-Westphalia to Wetterau, three arrests and a controlled demolition in the field - the police have struck a blow against the ATM demolition scene.

Bad Nauheim – Anyone who heard a loud bang in Bad Nauheim on Wednesday (March 30th, 2022) and wondered what it was will now find out: It was an explosives explosion in the field near Nieder-Mörlen, controlled by demolition technicians from the Rhineland police -Palatinate.

Many an investigator must have breathed a sigh of relief, because this explosion ended a mission that was tough.

Shortly before the bang, the police on the outskirts of Nieder-Mörlen arrested three men from the Netherlands who are accused of preparing to blow up an ATM.

When asked by this newspaper on Friday (April 1, 2022), Virginie Wegner, spokeswoman for the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), was unable to say which machines the trio was specifically targeting.

But one thing is certain: there were two explosive devices and explosive tools in the vehicle, as reported by fnp.de *.

Wetterau: Dutch responsible for further ATM demolitions?

To what extent the three arrested, between 25 and 31-year-old Dutch citizens, could possibly also have been responsible for automatic detonations in the past few months in Wetterau * and beyond, that is now to be found out, as Wegner said.

In the recent past, numerous ATMs have been blown up in the Wetterau and in the Gießen district, and the Sparkasse Oberhessen then blocked all self-service areas at night.

As reported by the LKA in Wiesbaden and the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office, together with the central Hesse police headquarters, they succeeded in arresting the three men on Wednesday.

The information came from colleagues in the Netherlands, police officers from North Rhine-Westphalia had started the pursuit on Wednesday night, said LKA spokeswoman Wegner.

The accused drove to Nieder-Mörlen, where the handcuffs finally clicked.

ATM blast in the Wetterau: perpetrators race at 250 km/h on the autobahn

In principle, people from the ATM-Sprenger scene are on the move with highly motorized vehicles, and correspondingly quickly, explained Wegner.

This time, too, they raced over the autobahn at over 250 km/h.

"Ultimately, these are rolling bombs," the LKA spokeswoman made clear in view of the explosives being carried, the additional petrol and the high speed.

Stopping such a car is a challenge, the police don't want to make the situation even more dangerous than it already is.

"We want to take the least possible risk for everyone involved." Nevertheless, the police officers have to stay close to the suspects, step on the gas and, at the same time, remain as "invisible" as possible.

The action was successful, the three suspects were arrested, according to the statement from the LKA and the Attorney General's Office, "on suspicion of preparing to cause an explosive explosion and conspiring to commit a crime".

Special forces from the Hessian and North Rhine-Westphalian police were involved in the operation in Nieder-Mörlen.

Wetterau: perpetrators apparently members of the Sprenger scene from the Netherlands

The accused are said to be members of a Dutch criminal group that specializes in blowing up ATMs.

The three were brought before the magistrate at the Friedberg district court on Thursday, who ordered them to be held in custody.

The spokeswoman for the State Criminal Police Office also went into the actions of such perpetrators in ATM demolitions.

Since the end of 2019, solid explosives have been used instead of gas, which has increased the success rate from the perpetrator's point of view.

Means: Mostly they come to the cash boxes.

The amount of explosives was balanced in such a way that the perpetrators would reach their destination.

On the way to professionalization there are test blasts in the Netherlands.

Blowing up ATMs: 20 people are currently in custody in Hesse

As far as the perpetrators are concerned, they are usually members of the Dutch Sprenger scene, but there are also regional groups, according to Wiesbaden.

According to Wegner, there are currently more than 20 people in prison in Hesse who are accused of such crimes.

In addition to the professional approach of the perpetrators, there is another feature: "They have an absolute will to escape - regardless of losses".

In July 2021, among other things, in Bad Nauheim in the Wetterau district, an ATM at a bank branch in the city center was blown up*.

It was only in February that the police gave themselves a chase with automatic detonation from Hesse to the Netherlands *.

(Christoph Agel)