Rabobank: No plans to close ATMs after explosive robbery attempts

Dutch banking institution Rabobank said it has no plans to dismantle its cash machines on a wide-scale basis after robbers made two separate attempts to use explosives to break into the bank's ATMs early Monday morning. Just last week, police said that other banks' cash machines would be targeted more frequently after ABN Amro decided to remove 470 of its own ATMs across the country.

Robbers tried to bust into a standalone Rabobank ATM on De Eendracht in Tubbergen, Overijssel, police said. They arrived on scene at about 3:30 a.m., and evacuated the area because of a fear an explosive was present inside the machine. The explosives removal team, EOD, from the Dutch military cleared the scene by 7 a.m., and a smaller area was cordoned off by police for investigation. Police said no money was taken from the machine.

UPDATE (video): Poging plofkraak in Tubbergen, EOD zet robot in https://t.co/G6IQXmLtqT

— 112Twente.nl (@112Twente) December 9, 2019

Back in 2017, Tubbergen was named the safest municipality in the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, about 185 kilometers north of there, explosives were used to break into the cash machine at a Rabobank branch on De Napoleonsbaan Zuid in Baarlo, Limburg. The incident took place at about 4:45 a.m., police said, and caused car windows to shatter and shrapnel to strake neighboring buildings. It was not clear how much money, if any, was taken from the scene.

Police said they were looking for four suspects who fled in a dark colored Audi A4 in the direction of Kessel. Police believed the suspects to be dangerous.

Baarlo opgeschrikt door plofkraak: EOD ter plaatse 🇳🇱 #Nederland #荷兰 #plofkraak #baarlo https://t.co/t0gSPhcO32 pic.twitter.com/ZKwnQIO8ln

— boppinmule (@boppinmule) December 9, 2019

Rabobank enacted new safety measures after violent explosions in 2017 at its ATM in a Doetinchem shopping center, and at a bank branch in Vinkel which caused a partial building collapse. The bank said it planned to hire more private security guards to monitor the cash machines, and suggested it could move more ATMs out of populated areas.

ABN Amro took the decision to close down half of its machines in the Netherlands. The bank noted that 50 of its ATMs were hit in the 62 cash machine bombings through the end of November, particularly a specific type of ATM that was subject to a vulnerability.

A cash machine location from SNS Bank in Ede was also attacked early Friday morning, and an ING machine in Arnhem was struck on December 1. In that case two people were taken into custody.