Dutch police arrest 5 suspected in 22 ATM explosions in Germany & Luxembourg

Police in the Netherlands working with German authorities arrested five people on Tuesday morning during raids in nine homes in Amsterdam, Helmond and Utrecht. The five are suspected of involvement in a large number of robberies involving the use of explosives, the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany (BKA) announced on Tuesday.

The five Dutch suspects are between 23 and 38 years old, German police said. They are accused of committing 22 explosion-based robberies between May 20, 2021 and August 30, 2022. One of these took place in Luxembourg, and the other 21 took place in Germany.

The robbers made off with over a million euros, police said. The damage caused by the explosions was valued at about two million euros.

The arrests on Tuesday followed an intense international investigation in collaboration with the International Legal Assistance Centre in Arnhem. Previously, a European arrest warrant was issued for the capture of the five suspects. A court in the Netherlands will soon rule on Germany's request for the Dutch authorities to extradite the five suspects.

If convicted, the suspects who caused the explosions can count on prison sentences of up to 15 years, German police said. Any accomplices involved in the robbery can face up to 10 years in prison.

Money, clothing, mobile phones and computers were seized during the raids in the nine homes.