Police were last night probing the sixth ATM raid in the north-east in as many weeks.
Officers said they were keeping an open mind about whether the incident, at the Clydesdale Bank at Ellon, was linked to a string of heists at cash machines throughout the region.
The would-be thieves fled empty-handed from the premises in the town’s Market Street.
They struck in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Detective Inspector Graeme Mackie said: “We are investigating damage to an ATM at the Clydesdale Bank, on Market Street, Ellon.
“We have dedicated officers looking into this matter and we will be keeping an open mind to see whether this attempted theft is connected to previous incidents.”
On September 15, thieves attempted to tear a cash machine from the wall of Halifax Bank of Scotland at Inverurie.
A day later, they tried again at Oldmeldrum’s Clydesdale Bank.
The next day, a masked gang are thought to have used explosives to blow open an ATM at New Deer’s Royal Bank of Scotland before escaping with thousands of pounds.
An ATM attached to a Scotmid Co-Op at Bieldside was then targeted and more money was stolen.
Detectives sifted through hours of CCTV footage, which revealed that the same dark Audi saloon had been in Inverurie, Oldmeldrum and Bieldside around the times of the raids.
Police also hinted that the gang could be staying in a hotel, and urged people to be on the lookout for anything suspicious while stepping up their own patrols.
In the early hours of Tuesday, a vehicle was reversed at speed into Duffus Post Office.
The ATM machine, which was attached to the floor with four bolts, was prised free.
Last night, police said a 26-year-old man from the Elgin area had been arrested in connection with the incident and that the cash machine had been recovered.
Police have urged anyone with information about any of the raids to contact them on 101.