A man who blew up a cash machine in the Darwin suburb of Winnellie overnight was knocked backwards by the explosion, CCTV footage shows.

The man's thongs were blown off his feet and he fled barefoot.

The ATM on Albatross Street was a tangled mess of electronics and broken metal when police arrived, alerted by an alarm triggered at about 3:45am.

"You need a new machine in there," police said about the ATM on Albatross Street. ( Supplied: NT Police )

Police confirmed the man took no money.

The man, who was wearing a t-shirt over his face during the incident, was also wanted over a similar incident on Christmas Eve, police said.

CCTV shows the man light an explosive and then appear to insert it into the machine.

Within seconds the item exploded.

He escaped serious injury, police said.

Earlier Tuesday morning, police said the offender may have used "some sort of gas" to destroy the cash machine.

"The machine is completely destroyed. You need a new machine in there," duty superintendent Bob Harrison said.

"In relation to sophistication it wasn't something that was done by somebody who had expertise.

"It looks as though some sort of gas was used to get into the machine."

He said it was unlikely the robbery was related to a gang of four Albanian men arrested in the NT over a series of ATM thefts interstate.

The men have been extradited to New South Wales.