Robbers Blow Up German Bank Trying to Steal ATM

In Germany, robbers apparently planned to use explosives to make off with an ATM.  Only they ended up destroying the entire bank and were left with no money to show for their bad doings.   

The BBC reports that the building housing the bank in the northern village of Malliss was largely destroyed by an overnight explosion.  Meanwhile, the bank’s cash machine survived intact and the suspected thieves are not thought to have made away with any money, Germany’s Welt Online reported.

No-one was injured, though the blast damaged nearby cars and buildings.

Investigators were working on the assumption that robbers had placed their explosives, possibly made from petrol or acetylene, at the entrance to the bank.  The presence of a delivery van near the site of the explosion indicated that the suspected thieves may have intended to drive off with the cash dispenser.