Police in Bavaria have arrested 50 people as part of a nationwide police operation in the fight against ATM bombers. The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office announced this on Wednesday. However, those now caught were all arrested for other crimes such as smuggling, red-handed after burglaries or under the Narcotics Act.
From Sunday to Wednesday, officers carried out increased checks at night in areas where police believe ATM explosions are more likely. According to the information, more than 3,000 vehicles and 4,000 people were checked in Bavaria. According to the LKA, more than 1,000 police officers were on duty over the four days. According to a spokesman, almost 100 criminal complaints were filed.
In addition to Bavaria, the federal states of Lower Saxony, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein took part in the third campaign of this kind against ATM blasters. A task force for the issue of ATM explosions in Lower Saxony coordinated the action. Nationwide, the number of ATM explosions last year was higher than ever before, it was said. Contrary to this trend, according to the LKA, the number of cases in Bavaria has so far been below the previous year’s level.