News

Thieves blast their way into 15 Cape Town-area ATMs

May 14, 2012

Since January 30, 15 ATMs — about one per week — have been the target of bomb blasts in South Africa's Nyanga province. The most recent of these, in Cape Town, took place on Sunday around 3 a.m.

Police are at a loss to figure out who is carrying out the attacks, said a report in the Cape Times. They have, however, arrested one man who was allegedly responsible for a Feb. 29 ATM bombing in Cape Town.

A common link in the bombings is that almost all have been carried out between 3 and 4 a.m. A source close to the investigations told the Cape Times that a gang based in an informal settlement was behind all the attacks.

The source also told the Times that commercial explosives from mines in the area were being smuggled into Cape Town for use in the ATM bombings.

For more on this topic, visit the security research center.