Suspected ATM thief charged with possessing explosives
A Dutch national has been charged by federal prosecutors for going equipped to blow up cash machines in Switzerland.
The 51-year-old was stopped by customs officers last November whilst driving a stolen car into Switzerland from the Netherlands via Germany. The vehicle contained unauthorised explosives and other equipment that police believe was intended for attacks on ATMs.
Switzerland has seen a spate of explosive ATM robberies that started to peak from 2019External link, forcing the authorities to take action.
Police have blamed gangs of foreign criminals who come to wealthy Switzerland to blow up ATMs. Cash remains a popular form of making payments in Switzerland compared to some other European countries, particularly the cash-shy Nordics.
The first criminal conviction of an ATM explosives attacker was handed down in December when a Romanian national was sentenced to 74 months in prison.
The Swiss Office for the Attorney General (OAG) on Monday said the latest indictmentExternal link against the Dutch national included charges for traffic offences and the “manufacture, concealment and transport of explosives and toxic gases”.
Dutch police assisted the Swiss investigation by raiding the suspect’s home in the Netherlands, the OAG added.
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