Two cash machines in a Limburg bank were blown up in the early hours of Friday, marking a new but failed attempt by thieves to make off with loot by using explosives.
A little before 4:00 AM on Friday, a series of loud bangs startled Limburg residents in the town of Pelt, as thieves attempted to break open cash machines from a local ING branch.
The explosions left significant material damage inside the branch, but the thieves reportedly fled after their ploy proved unsuccessful, according to VRT.
Police Chief Rudy Verkoyen told the outlet that they believed "several" perpetrators had carried out the failed heist, and that they were "masked and wearing dark clothing."
Since the start of the year, different bank branches in the Limburg and Antwerp provinces have been hit by a series of bomb attacks carried out in the early mornings by thieves.
In May, two local branches of bank Argenta were hit by similar bomb attacks carried out a little over a week apart from each other, with prosecutors attempting to establish any potential links between the heists.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
