On the night of Saturday December 7 to Sunday December 8, 2024, Carhaix was the scene of a spectacular robbery. An explosion destroyed the automatic teller machine (ATM) of the CIC agency, located rue des Martyrs, in the city center. This act, which follows a similar attempt a few days earlier, raises many questions.
An explosion that woke up the neighborhood
The attack took place around 3 a.m. According to initial findings, the criminals used gas to explode the distributor. The blast from the explosion caused considerable damage: the bank's entrance hall was completely destroyed, debris was thrown several meters, even damaging a vehicle parked nearby.
Around twenty firefighters, from neighboring towns, were mobilized to control a fire started by the explosion. Although no casualties were reported, the material damage was significant. The gendarmes, including a team from the Gendarmerie Surveillance and Intervention Platoon (PSIG), quickly secured the scene, establishing a security perimeter to protect local residents and facilitate the investigation.
This robbery comes only a few days after a similar attempt targeting the Caisse d'Épargne, located a few meters from the CIC agency. Although the previous operation failed, the two attacks appear to follow an identical modus operandi. Investigators suspect a roving team specializing in this type of criminal acts.
The amount of the loot has not yet been communicated, and the perpetrators are still on the run. Investigators are continuing their investigations, in particular by collecting testimonies from local residents and analyzing recordings from video surveillance cameras in the area.
This new episode reminds us that even rural communities are not spared from acts of organized crime. It remains to be seen whether these attacks mark the start of a series or whether the culprits will be quickly apprehended.
