Last year, 137 Dutch people were arrested for robbing ATMs with explosives

Last year, 137 Dutch people were arrested because they were accused of being involved in robbery incidents in which explosives were detonated to break open an ATM, Dutch police said on Saturday. Most of the ATM bombings related to the arrests actually took place in Germany, where Dutch suspects blew up cash machines 367 times last year.

By comparison, there were eight such robberies in the Netherlands last year. The explosive robberies were more common in the Netherlands until banking authorities implemented several measures which cut off access to many ATMs during late night and overnight hours. "It has definitely become an export product," a spokesperson said.

All 137 arrested Dutch robbery suspects were accused of being involved in at least one incident in Germany. A police spokesperson said the Dutch suspects may have also been active in other countries.

Many Dutch terrorist gangs are moving to Germany, because measures in the Netherlands have reduced the chance of a successful attack. For example, banknotes stolen in those incidents are often unusable because they are automatically glued together after an explosion.

The number of explosive raids involving Dutch people in Germany decreased last year for the first time in years. While this happened 442 times during the record-breaking year of 2022, there were 367 cases last year. According to the police, this decline appears to be continuing.

During the first quarter of this year, there were 56 explosives-based robberies in Germany where a Dutch suspect may have been involved. That is 64 fewer than in the same period last year.

The decrease is because the police and prosecutors in the Netherlands and Germany are working more closely together, Dutch police said. Efforts are being made to increase the chances of catching suspects red-handed, "for example by waiting for suspects at the border," said Cecile Kosterman. She is responsible for coordinating the Dutch police approach to explosives-based robberies.

A major trial will begin next week in Bamberg, Germany, involving 16 Dutch suspects who are accused of approximately 90 ATM bombings in Germany. The Dutch suspects are said to have stolen a total of around 7 million euros.

Because of the vast size and scope of the trial, the court will hear the case in a gymnasium at the German police training institute in Bamberg, according to Dutch police. The court presiding over the case has set aside 90 days to hear all arguments and testimony related to the extensive string of ATM bombings.

Dutch robbers are also suspected of striking ATMs in countries other than Germany last year. Dutch suspects were identified in nine cases in Switzerland, eight in Austria and four in Belgium over the course of 2023.