Twin ATM blasts in Badhoevedorp, Landsmeer spur probe into string of explosions

Two ATM explosions struck Badhoevedorp and Landsmeer within about 30 minutes early Tuesday, following similar attacks a day earlier in Laren and Amsterdam-Zuid, as police investigate whether the incidents are connected, NH reports.

The first explosion occurred around 4:00 a.m. at a Geldmaat cash deposit machine on Marconistraat in Badhoevedorp. The deposit unit — used by businesses to place cash takings in sealed bags — was completely blown out of the building. Suspects fled on a motor scooter.

With assistance from the Amsterdam police unit and a police dog, officers arrested two men about 30 minutes later on Akersingel in Amsterdam. They remain in custody. Police did not say whether any money was taken.

A second explosion followed around 4:30 a.m. at a Geldmaat on Dorpsstraat in Landsmeer. There, the deposit machine was also completely blown out of the building. Police said different perpetrators were responsible for the Landsmeer attack, noting the Badhoevedorp suspects had already been arrested, but added they are investigating a possible connection between the incidents. It is not yet known whether any money was stolen.

The overnight attacks resemble earlier explosions. On Monday morning at 5:10 a.m., an ATM at Plein 1945 in Laren was damaged in a blast. Two suspects wearing face coverings fled on a blue scooter toward the Eemnesserweg. No injuries were reported, and it remains unclear whether anything was taken. Police searched the square and surrounding area.

Hours earlier, around 3:45 a.m., a cash deposit machine at a supermarket on Sloterkade in Amsterdam-Zuid was destroyed in an explosion. Residents reported hearing a loud blast as far away as Beethovenstraat. The device, located at the corner of Hoofddorpweg and Sloterkade, was completely wrecked.

Police sealed off a large part of the street, and the Explosives Ordnance Disposal unit and a police explosives reconnaissance team conducted an investigation at the scene around 6:00 a.m. Suspects in that case remain at large, and authorities have asked witnesses and people with camera footage to come forward. Police are also considering a link to another ATM explosion at a hotel in Amsterdam in mid-March.

A police spokesperson said investigators are examining whether the recent series of attacks are connected. “It has been a while since we have had this type of incident,” the spokesperson said. A Geldmaat spokesperson said the recent wave of attacks is unusual. “Now we have had five in one month,” she said.

She added that the pattern suggests deposit machines are being targeted. According to Geldmaat, business owners who deposited cash in the machines do not lose their money. “They must first register their takings with the bank before depositing the money in the machine.”