Spain – ATM explosions: criminal group dismantled

An investigation into nine ATM explosions across Granada, Badajoz, Cordoba, Malaga and Almeria provinces in Spain, has been concluded. The Spanish National Police Corps (CNP) opened the investigation in September 2023, following an ATM robbery at a bank branch in Calahonda, Motril Municipality.

It was revealed a CWIED consisting of a square metal container containing gunpowder was inserted into the ATMs using a metal rod and initiated with a length of command wire and a moped battery. The device and technique have been coined as the ‘pizza chef's shovel’ and ‘pizza slide’ methods respectively.

Investigators identified a pattern involving the use of the same technique, making it possible to draw a map of attacks covering five provinces. The criminal group was successfully dismantled in an operation leading to the arrest of seven members of the organisation. Seven residences were searched by the police resulting in the recovery of two additional ‘pizza shovels’.

A report published by El Confidencial states that the criminal group members had learnt the pizza slide method in the Alhaurin de la Torre prison from Italian criminal, Warner Rossi. Rossi is a known ATM thief, first detected in Spain in 2000, originally using gas to target ATMs and later turned to using gunpowder extracted from fireworks. Similar attacks on ATMs in Italy, using a technique known as ‘Marmot’ have also been recorded in EWS’ OSTD.

For more information on this event, please contact EWS.

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