TRIPwire, 21 January 2022

On 14 January 2022, at approximately 0400 hours local time, local authorities discovered an explosive device after responding to an explosion at a bank in Dinslaken, North Rhine-Westphalia, where three unidentified suspects targeted an ATM. No injuries were reported, but the blast caused massive damage to the bank, sending the front doors flying into the street. Witnesses saw the perpetrators fleeing the scene in a vehicle. Bomb technicians responded to assist and removed the explosive device, described as a black, flat box with wires sticking out of it, which was stuck in the ATM, before disposing of it in a total containment vessel (TCV). It is unclear whether the explosive device was a secondary device or remnants from the first device. No money was stolen from the machine. The same ATM in was attacked in October 2021, but the unknown assailants were unable to steal any money. The investigation is ongoing.

TRIPwire, 21 January 2022

On 20 January 2022, members of ISIS functioned a vehicle-borne IED (VBIED) at the gates of the Ghwayran Prison, a Kurdish-run jail housing up to 3,000 ISIS prisoners, and detonated a fuel tanker near the “Al-Sadkob” petroleum facility, both in the Hasaka Province, before attacking Syrian Defense Force (SDF) personnel guarding the prison. According to unverified media reports, 2 prison guards were injured during the incident, several inmates were killed during the subsequent riots, and up to 20 ISIS prisoners may have escaped, capturing weapons from the injured SDF personnel. No additional details regarding the VBIED or fuel tanker explosion have been released. The SDF repelled the ISIS attackers, who fled to the neighboring al-Zohour neighborhood and took refuge in civilian homes; the SDF imposed a security cordon around the area and called in reinforcements. In addition, aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition responded to the facility, dropping flares to assist the SDF forces. An SDF spokesman later reported that the situation at the prison was under control, although sporadic clashes with ISIS cells in the surrounding neighborhood are ongoing.

TRIPwire, 20 January 2022

On 19 January 2022, at approximately 0200 hours local time, four unidentified suspects used explosives to attack an ATM at a self-service center in Schalksmühle-Heedfeld, Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia. Residents near the area reported hearing two explosions. The blasts caused immense damage, destroying the ATM and the building housing it and damaging other buildings in the vicinity. Witnesses spotted the suspects fleeing the scene in two vehicles. Explosives experts responded to assist and conducted a post-blast analysis of the scene. According to the structural engineer onsite, the blasts rendered the building housing the ATM structurally unsound and it will have to be fully demolished. Similar attacks occurred the same night in Jüchen, Oberhausen, Lüdenscheid, and Engelskirchen. No further information on the explosives has been released. It is unclear how much money was stolen. The investigation is ongoing.

TRIPwire, 20 January 2022

On 18 January 2022, at approximately 2215 hours local time, a vehicle-borne IED (VBIED) parked near the headquarters of a human rights foundation in the Saravena municipality of the Arauca Department functioned, killing one person and injuring five others. In addition, media outlets reported that an unspecified number of nearby buildings were damaged by the explosion. Eyewitness claim that the VBIED used a white van, but no further details on the VBIED have been released. After functioning the VBIED, the unknown attackers opened fire on people attending a human rights workshop in the building before fleeing the scene. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but authorities report that based on their preliminary investigation, they believe that members of “Structure 10” of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are responsible for the attack. The investigation is ongoing.