News

North Holland, Netherlands, sees 5th ATM explosion in a week

North Holland is a province in the northwestern part of the Netherlands.

November 25, 2019

In the wee hours of Monday morning, criminals blew up an ATM at the Dutch village of Dorpsstraat in Noord-Scharwoude in the Netherlands. 

That might not sound all that unusual at first, but consider that this was the fifth such explosion in North Holland, a province in the northwestern part of the country, within a week. Last week, criminals blew up four ATMs in Alkmaar, Amsterdam and Zaandam, and one ATM bombing was prevented, according to a report in NH Nieuws.

Police reported two people fled from the incident in a scooter at 3:30 a.m. just after the explosion, but whether they successfully made off with any cash is unknown. 

In the last 24 months, North Holland has seen 30 ATM attacks, most of those centered in Amsterdam, NH Nieuws said, and police warn the explosions are becoming more violent and destructive.

"Heavier explosives are being used and that means that we have to evacuate surrounding houses and buildings more often, because we do not take any risks with regard to the safety of persons," police said in the report.

Plofkraak in Noord-Scharwoude: enorme schade aan pand
https://t.co/uG8w3MNSGm pic.twitter.com/E3lu6cqVBW

— NH Nieuws (@NHNieuws) November 25, 2019

It is not clear what type of explosive the vandals used in this most recent attack, but in a recent report, the European Association for Secure Transactions said that ATM explosions were increasing in Europe, as was the use of a chemical known as triacetone triperoxide, otherwise dubbed the "Mother of Satan" due to its high volatility. 

Public anxiety about ATM bombings has resulted in the preemptive removal of hundreds of ATMs from the streets in the Netherlands. In the last two years, Dutch bank ING closed more than one-third of its ATMs, reducing the total from 508 to 338.