© Domingos Oliveira / RTL
A Volksbank Trier ATM installed on Saarstrasse in the centre of Wincheringen, Germany, exploded in the early hours of Monday morning. Trier police reported on Monday afternoon that three arrests had been made, thanks in great part to locals supporting with clues and observations.
A major search operation was underway and armed police officers were guarding the Germany-Luxembourg state border, according to RTL reports. Any cars crossing into Luxembourg from the nearby Wormeldange bridge between Luxembourg and Germany were being checked by police.
According to the Saarburg police, the perpetrators fled in a dark BMW with Luxembourgish license plates after the explosion. However, they did not get far, as shortly thereafter they had an accident. They drove through a railing and fell into a ditch.
The car was found to contain several canisters. According to firefighters at the scene, the canisters contained traces of gasoline. Having left the car behind, the criminals fled on foot after the accident. Witnesses reported seeing three people running towards the forest. The police specified that they ran towards Helfant, Germany, but the exact number of people involved was not mentioned in the police report.
German police report the arrest of 3 people
Later, on Monday afternoon, the police directorate of Trier announced that it had made three arrests.
This success could also be attributed to the attentive behavior of the residents of Wincheringen. A number of residents repeatedly gave police specific clues about strangers and suspicious persons spotted in the area.
Eventually, it was possible to arrest 3 suspicious persons. It is still to be confirmed whether these three individuals are linked to the ATM explosion.
The rescue service of Saarburg, the fire department of Wincheringen and Ayl and the police of Trier and Saarburg were involved in the operation. They were supported by the German Federal Police and the Luxembourg Police.
