Around 2:45 AM, residents near the Sparkasse branch in Neunkirchen-Furpach were awakened by a loud explosion and called the police. The police officers from Neunkirchen who arrived shortly afterward found the branch devastated by the force of the blast. The deliberately caused explosion was apparently aimed at the ATMs installed inside.
Witnesses further reported that immediately after the incident, several people in a dark vehicle, possibly an Audi, fled the scene towards the nearby BAB 8 motorway. The promptly initiated, intensive nationwide search for the sought vehicle has so far been unsuccessful.
First, explosives specialists from the State Police Headquarters checked whether there might still be any undetonated explosive devices in the branch. Further investigations revealed that one of the two ATMs located in the branch had been opened by the explosion and then emptied. The amount of the loot is not yet known.
The police ask witnesses who have observed suspicious vehicles or persons that may be connected to the crime, or who can provide other relevant information, to contact the criminal investigation department at the phone number 0681/962-2133.
