A Look at ATM Sabotage
Despite the decrease in their use year after year, ATMs continue to be priority targets for criminals, as demonstrated in a recent operation by the Mossos d’Esquadra. This month, five arrests dismantled a gang specialized in sabotaging ATMs, causing damage worth 70,000 euros in Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Santa Coloma de Gramenet. Surprisingly, their goal was not to steal money, but to destroy devices that they considered symbols of an alleged tyranny imposed by banking institutions.
Acts of Sabotage
The sabotage included the spilling of corrosive liquids and the breaking of glass and screens with blunt objects, seriously affecting the operations of the offices for extended periods. These acts were claimed as part of a campaign promoted by supporters of violent anarchism, directed specifically against banking institutions and spread mainly on the internet.
The Purpose of Sabotage
This campaign aimed to press for the withdrawal of a banking entity as a private prosecution in relation to events of May 1, 2022. As a result of the investigation, two of the detainees were released and the other three they went to judicial disposal. The investigation remains open and further arrests have not been ruled out.
conclusion
Rather than neo-Luddites, it appears that these individuals were simply eager to avoid justice, using sabotage as a means to their ends.
