Politicians sound alarm over ATM attacks in Switzerland

Ruthless, highly-organised foreign criminal gangs are behind many of the ATM attacks that continue to rock small Swiss towns and villages, say police. In response, concerned politicians are proposing measures to tighten border security. Check out our selection of newsletters. Subscribe here. On Monday night residents of the sleepy village of Jegenstorf in canton Bern were woken at 2am by a blast that wrecked their local bank’s cashpoint machine. The explosion also caused considerable damage to the bank building. Police said witnesses spotted three people dressed in dark clothing fleeing on foot. It was unclear how much money was stolen. One-and-a-half hours later that same night, thieves blew up an ATM at a gas station in Küssnacht am Rigi in central Switzerland. The machine was destroyed and the shop damaged. There were no injuries, but the Schwyz cantonal police assume the criminals fled with the machine's cash. These spectacular raids are part of a crime wave that has plagued ...