Bomb Attack on ATM

John S. Burnett, Associate Editor

A drive-up ATM at the First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust in Champaign, IL, was jolted by a bomb blast early on Monday morning, September 10. The 6 a.m. attack was clearly more serious than the occasional vandalism suffered by ATMs at the hands of disgruntled customers. Champaign police suggested that the blast was an attempt to get into the ATM's vault to steal cash.

According to sources, the ATM wasn't breached, and no cash was removed.

Although Champaign police said that bank break-ins with explosives are "highly unusual" in the area, Champaign News-Gazette archives include a report of pipe-bomb damage to an ATM and two windows at a Bank One office in May, 1998.

First published on BankersOnline.com 9/14/2007