They try to steal an ATM in Sants by making it explode at dawn

BarcelonaThe screen is shattered and the bottom part of the ATM, where receipts are usually collected, is completely destroyed. In fact, you can see the entrails of wires and metal, all covered by police tape from the Mossos d'Esquadra warning that it cannot be touched. Everything is visible except for the banknotes: the thieves who placed an explosive device in this ATM in the Sants neighborhood early this morning did not manage to take a single euro.

The Mossos d'Esquadra are already investigating this incident, which was recorded at the corner of Riera d'Escuder and Carrer de Sants. It is a small ATM, attached to a package delivery business. The employee of this business explains that, luckily, they did not suffer any damage. In the morning, the bank company's worker arrived and confirmed that, beyond the fact that the ATM has been completely disabled, no banknotes were taken. And, furthermore, the ATM's camera recorded the thieves, even though they had their faces hidden. It was the neighbors who, alerted by the explosion, called the emergency phone number.

The Mossos have spoken with several witnesses, such as a scrap dealer who explained that the alleged thieves had gotten out of a white van. A neighbor who woke up to the noise of the explosion, however, recounts that it seemed to her that they were on motorcycles and did not take off their helmets to hide their faces. In any case, the police are reviewing the cameras of the ATM and nearby businesses to identify the perpetrators. At the moment, there are no arrests and the investigation has been assumed by the specialists of the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC). The police are also looking into whether similar robberies have occurred in other parts of Catalonia or Spain, since these thieves tend to be part of itinerant gangs. The explosion did not injure anyone.

A method that is not new

The Catalan police are clear that they are dealing with an attempted robbery. At first, it may seem logical, but other motivations must be ruled out, as in the past there have been cases of explosive devices in ATMs that were part of acts of vandalism and sabotage by anarchist groups. It is not new, however, for groups of thieves to use this method to rob ATMs. In fact, in 2022, the Mossos dismantled a group that used the pizza slide technique: they manufactured "flasks" with gunpowder, inserted them into the ATM through the bill slot, and detonated them electrically.