Justice Federal prosecutor files charges for explosives offenses
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has filed an indictment with the Federal Criminal Court against five men for explosives offenses. They were allegedly planning to blow up and rob ATMs in Switzerland.
05.12.2024, 12:48
SDA
Four of the accused were arrested in July 2023 as part of a police operation in Strengelbach AG after breaking into a house. When the emergency services discovered explosives, additional forces were called out and the surrounding buildings were evacuated; 40 people therefore had to spend the rest of the night in a gym.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) announced on Thursday that the four people involved were a 27-year-old Spaniard, a 23-year-old Dutch national, a 32-year-old with dual Dutch-Turkish citizenship and a 25-year-old Kosovar.
In the further course of the proceedings, a fifth suspect was also identified and an international alert was issued for his arrest. This is a 30-year-old Albanian, the OAG writes further. All five defendants are currently serving early sentences.
The OAG accuses the five accused of having jointly manufactured three unconventional explosive and incendiary devices in a barbershop in Strengelbach AG. They are also alleged to have stored further explosives in the barbershop, which they intended to use to manufacture a fourth explosive and incendiary device, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, the suspects procured various pyrotechnic items and other necessary materials and brought them from France to Switzerland. They presumably intended to blow up ATMs. In the days before their arrest, they had scouted out over ten ATMs in Switzerland, according to the OAG.
