Federal prosecutor files charges for explosives offenses
Published: Thursday, Dec 5th 2024, 14:00
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The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has filed charges against five men with the Federal Criminal Court for explosives offenses. They allegedly planned to blow up and rob ATMs in Switzerland.
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.
Now the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) announced on Thursday that the four individuals are 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 suspects 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, with which, according to the indictment, they intended to manufacture a fourth explosive and incendiary device.
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.
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