Karlsruhe Regional Court: Judicial Ruling Made - Thief appears in court following fatal crash involving escape vehicle
In the early hours of the morning, well-covered troublemakers carry out their heist: one of them pushes a crowbar to force open the cover of two cash machines while the other plants explosives inside. The men vanish briefly. There's an explosion. The criminals return to scoop up their stash and vanish once again. At first glance, everything seems to be going as planned, as evidenced by surveillance camera videos. During their daring escape, however, a 45-year-old bystander tragically loses his life. Now, the trio of suspects from the Netherlands must respond to the Karlsruhe District Court since Thursday. The 30-year-old behind the wheel of the getaway car is also accused of murder.
Bold Escape
The prosecution charged all three with responsibility for the ATM explosion and a severe robbery during the initial hearing on Thursday. The group is purported to have blown up an ATM in a house in Wiernsheim, near Pforzheim, on November 11 of the previous year. Then, they reportedly sped through villages in a stolen car, hitting and damaging a police cruiser during their attempted getaway. Next, they drove as ghosts onto the A6 motorway.
At a rest stop near Sinsheim (Rhein-Neckar-Kreis), the police briefly halted the automobile. Two of the alleged culprits, aged 21, attempted to flee on foot. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old stepped on the accelerator, driving through the field and back onto the highway in the wrong direction.
A Fatal Collision
He ended up crashing head-on into a compact truck, whose driver reportedly tried to avoid the collision. As a result, the two vehicles veered onto the shoulder, causing a collision. The person in the back of the truck suffered fatal injuries and succumbed a few days later. The truck's driver and the 30-year-old suspect sustained serious injuries in the accident.
The prosecution claims that the 30-year-old cost a life with his brazen escape. Hence, he also faces a charge of attempted murder. Recklessness and deception are seen as aggravating factors for murder.
The authorities discovered over 41,000 euros in cash from the shattered ATM in Wiernsheim and explosives in the getaway vehicle. The cost of the building's destruction was approximately 250,000 euros.
A Path to the Netherlands
At the trial's start, with Dutch and Arabic interpreters, the courtroom boasted an unusually large number of Dutch-speaking spectators, including a row of young women with children who appeared to be supporting the defendants. The men themselves waved to the audience.
The three young men have been in pre-trial custody since November. They declined to comment on the charges at the initial hearing, although their attorneys hinted at a willingness to testify. The court nixed the option of a reconciliation owing to the suspected murder charge.
In Germany, ATM explosions are a reoccurring phenomenon. Police assert that evidence often leads to the Netherlands. All three alleged offenders from Wiernsheim are also Dutch nationals.
ATM breaches have been leaving a destructive footprint for years, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the authorities, they often use the fast-paced escape route across the border to the Netherlands. However, the number of explosions has also been climbing in Baden-Württemberg, as per the State Criminal Police Office.
In 2022, they allegedly committed 34 acts of destruction. By November of the preceding year, the State Criminal Police Office cataloged 39 such occurrences. "There's an ATM explosion nearly every day," the Hessian State Criminal Police Office's president, Andreas Röhrig, said in September of the prior year.
President of the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office, Andreas Stenger, believes there are well-established structures. ATM sabotage is perceived as a lucrative but also very risky enterprise, concludes Stenger. The criminals aren't deterred by personal or public risk.
Seven more court dates have been slated. Besides witnesses and police, experts are also anticipated.
