Puglia ATM bombings damage banks and trigger security emergency

Around 3 a.m. on Thursday, criminals used an improvised explosive device known as the “marmotta” technique to blow up three ATMs at the Intesa Sanpaolo branch on Via 25 Aprile in Orta Nova, province of Foggia. The blast caused severe damage to one machine, shattered the branch’s windows and broken glass, but investigators say the thieves fled empty‑handed without taking cash. Carabinieri units arrived on the scene and are reviewing surveillance footage to identify the perpetrators.

Mayor Domenico Di Vito condemned the incident, saying “we can no longer accept waking up to the boom of an explosion; it is not normal to live in fear and abandonment.” He announced an immediate request for an extraordinary round‑table on public order and security involving the Prefecture and police forces.

A similar ATM bombing was reported earlier in the month in Giovinazzo, province of Bari, where a Monte dei Paschi ATM was hit with a comparable device. Though the damage was extensive, no cash was reported stolen. The two attacks highlight a growing pattern of violent robberies targeting banking infrastructure in the Puglia region.