Cash remains a popular means of payment in Switzerland.
Keystone / Donald Stampfli
A spate of explosive attacks on Swiss ATMs shows no sign of abating, with two cash machines being targeted in the last few days.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/mga
Criminals have used explosives or gas to blast open 38 of Switzerland’s 7,000 ATMs so far this year. In 2021, 49 such attacks were recorded, 45 in 2020 and 56 the previous year.
Police believe the attacks are being carried out largely by gangs from abroad. Unlike other European countries, demand for cash remains high in wealthy Switzerland.
The latest attack on Thursday caused extensive damage to the building in which the cash machine was located in the central canton of Lucerne.
Two days previously, thieves launched an explosive night raid on an ATM in a shopping centre in the French-speaking canton of Valais.
The attacks have made headlines in the Swiss media in recent years and show no signs of abating despite some successes by law enforcement officers.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Swiss canton coordinates donations for landslide destroyed village
This content was published on
The Swiss canton of Valais to form committee to coordinate CHF 57.4 million donations for village destroyed by a landslide.
Body of Blatten landslide victim found and identified
This content was published on
The body of 64-year-old man, who has been missing since part of the Brich glacier collapsed on the Swiss village of Blatten has been found.
Swiss watch industry calls for ‘clear solution’ with US
This content was published on
Federation of the Watch Industry calls for clear solution to tariff threat and a swift agreement between Bern and Washington.
Swiss youngsters illegally obtain alcohol in a quarter of test purchases
This content was published on
In a quarter of all alcohol test purchases last year, young people in Switzerland were able to obtain beer, wine or spirits illegally.
This content was published on
The new CHF100 ($100) banknote, which went into circulation last month, has blocked bank ATMs in various German-speaking cantons.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.