Germany to Toughen Penalties as ATM Bombings Reach New Highs
- Sentences for explosive attacks to more than double: draft law
- Damage to economy estimated in a three-digit million range
Police officers at a bank branch where an ATM has been blown up, in Berlin.
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Germany is preparing to crack down after a sharp increase in cash-machine bombings by criminal gangs in recent years.
The number of ATM burglaries involving explosives increased by 26.5% in 2022 over 2021, the most recent figures available, according to a joint statement by the interior and justice ministries published on Saturday. That’s the highest since surveys began in 2005, and it’s caused damage to businesses in a three-digit-million euro range.