ATMs under attack in Frankfurt....

Sounds like a leftist terrorist group...

A previously unknown militant group claims to be behind a series of arson attacks on banks in Frankfurt over the past two weeks. Police are still hunting for leads to the elusive group, while commentators are drawing links with Germany's notorious terrorist group the Red Army Faction.

Until two weeks ago no one had heard of the Bewegung Morgenlicht. But now, they have thrust themselves onto the police's radar with a number of attacks on banks in Frankfurt.

Two Saturdays ago, militants threw a petrol-soaked cloth into a Dresdner Bank foyer, setting fire to a cash machine. Just 24 hours later, a machine belonging to Deutsche Bank was torched in another part of the city. Total damages amounted to €110,000 ($165,000). No one was hurt in the attacks, but the fire department helped 10 people evacuate from the building above the Deutsche Bank blaze.

In an e-mail sent to a number of regional papers, a group calling itself Bewegung Morgentlicht (Dawn Movement) claimed responsibility. One mail said the first Frankfurt attack was carried out by the "Makeda Commando," supposedly part of the new group. It dubbed the attack "a small retrospective slap in the face for their swindle." Meanwhile, the group explained the second attack on Deutsche Bank as an attempt to spur on "a thorough reform of the economy."

The "swindle" referred to in the first e-mail is likely a reference to the practice of selling Lehmann Brothers securities, which became worthless overnight with the investment bank collapsed in September 2008. This week, Bewegung Morgenlicht issued a direct threat to the Frankfurter Sparkasse 1822 bank, specifically mentioning those who lost money due to the Lehmann bankruptcy.

In a letter sent to the tabloid Bild, the group warned that Sparkasse 1822 "is at the top of our to-do list." It said it was demanding compensation for those who had bought doomed Lehmann Brothers securities from the bank. It said the Frankfurt savings bank would become a target if it doesn't pay up by the start of December. The police are still hunting for leads to the presumed leftist organization.