BERLIN — Nine men suspected of involvement in blowing up dozens of cash machines in Germany and stealing some 5.2 million euros (nearly $7.5 million) have been arrested in the Netherlands and Belgium, German authorities said Thursday.
The arrests were made during raids on 16 properties in the two neighbouring countries on Monday, prosecutors and police in the southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg said.
From our newsroom to your inbox at noon, the latest headlines, stories, opinion and photos from the Toronto Sun.
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.
The suspects are aged between 25 and 41 and are Dutch, Moroccan, Afghan, Turkish and Romanian nationals resident in the Netherlands or Belgium, authorities said. German prosecutors are seeking their extradition. Investigators are still looking for another three suspected accomplices.
The 52 explosions at cash machines in Germany, all but one of them in the two southern states, started in November 2021 and continued until Jan. 19. They took place mostly deep in the night.
The perpetrators caused damage estimated at more than 6.7 million euros, more than the total value of the cash they stole by blowing up the machines that contained it.
