Overview
- Lawmakers approved a government bill raising penalties for explosive-enabled thefts, lifting the minimum sentence for ATM blasts to two years and to at least five years when victims are seriously injured, with maximum terms up to 15 years.
- Investigators gain expanded telecommunications surveillance under Section 100a of the Code of Criminal Procedure, including source-TKÜ that can capture encrypted chats used in planning and executing attacks.
- A new qualifying offense in the explosives law targets gang- or commercial-style activity, carrying prison terms of six months to five years to better prosecute organized structures.
- The package closes gaps by criminalizing attempts and the unauthorized acquisition, import, transport or storage of explosive substances.
- CDU/CSU, SPD and AfD backed the bill, the Greens voted no and The Left abstained, as critics warned of symbolic policy and broader secret surveillance while officials pointed to a long-term rise and a 2022 peak of 496 ATM blasts before a drop to 269 in 2024.