Three Dutch men face trial over ATM blasts in Wels

Three Dutch men will stand trial in Wels on October 20 over ATM explosions in Upper and Lower Austria and Vienna, ORF reports. One of the defendants is accused of involvement in seven incidents.

All three, aged 36 or 37, are accused of taking part in an ATM explosion at a shopping centre in Gmunden on May 16, 2025. Their vehicle was badly damaged, and they initially fled on foot without taking any money. Several hundred metres away, they allegedly threatened a student at a graduation celebration with a knife and forced him to hand over his car keys. The car was later set on fire, according to the indictment.

A 28-year-old accused of acting as the driver and scouting the location was sentenced in June to three years in prison, partly suspended. The ruling is final.

Two of the men also face charges over an ATM explosion in central Wels on April 25, 2025, in which nearly 175,000 euros was taken. A 37-year-old Dutch man was sentenced in mid-June to two years’ unconditional imprisonment in connection with that incident; the ruling is not final.

One of the three defendants is additionally accused of involvement in five ATM explosions in Vienna and Brunn am Gebirge between June 12 and July 3, 2025. The indictment alleges that the perpetrators forced open the doors of bank foyers and used explosive charges to break into the ATMs. An attempt in Brunn am Gebirge on June 20 failed, and the perpetrators fled without money.