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Bundestag Passes Tougher Penalties and Expanded Surveillance to Target ATM Bombings

The measure responds to a sharp rise in explosives offenses, targeting gang operations behind cash‑machine blasts.

Overview

  • The minimum prison term for blowing up cash machines rises from one to two years, with at least five years if victims are severely injured.
  • A new qualification in the Explosives Act covers gang‑based or commercial offenses to better pursue organized networks.
  • Investigators gain broader authority to conduct telecommunications surveillance in cases assessed as gang‑related or commercial.
  • Attempts and unauthorized handling of explosive substances, including acquisition, import or transport, become prosecutable.
  • CDU/CSU, SPD and AfD backed the law, the Greens opposed and The Left abstained, as critics warned penalties alone will not curb offenses without tighter access controls and better detection.