ATM blown up in Antwerp province, perpetrators at large
A BNP Paribas ATM was blown up in the Antwerp province of Stabroek in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
A BNP Paribas ATM in Abtsdreef in the Antwerp province of Stabroek was blown up by unidentified squatters in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Emergency services were called to the scene and arrived at around 1:30 AM. The fire brigade secured the surrounding area and a police perimeter was set up.
The BNP Paribas bank is located one kilometre away from the A12 motorway, which borders the Netherlands.
The explosion badly damaged the ATM and there was also some damage to the bank building, according to the police. However, nobody was injured.
Witnesses reportedly saw three people fleeing from the scene on foot.
An investigation into the incident is being led by the Antwerp federal police.
"The investigation into the explosion is going well," said representative of the local north police zone, Tom De Gent to Gazette Van Antwerpen.
"In the meantime, it is clear that the perpetrators were able to [take some contents of the ATM], we do not yet know how large their loot was," added De Gent.
Evie McCullough