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Explosion in Vienna: How the young woman from Burgenland became an accomplice!
On January 21, 2025, a gang blew up four ATMs in Vienna-Liesing. Two suspects were caught in Germany.
Explosion in Vienna: How the young woman from Burgenland became an accomplice!
In the dark hours of the morning on January 21st, there was a spectacular explosion of an ATM in Vienna-Liesing, more precisely in the Alterlaa residential park, which not only woke the residents from their sleep, but also triggered heated discussions about the increasing crime in Austria. Loud Today Two ATMs in a bank branch exploded at 3:50 a.m., followed by two further explosions, causing total damage of a horrendous 1.3 million euros.
The perpetrators, who were quickly identified as an international gang, escaped with around 90,000 euros in loot, although some of the banknotes were unusable. At least two masterminds were caught in Germany, while a 21-year-old woman from Burgenland stood trial and played the role of a contributor. She explained that she wanted to help her family get out of debt and that's how she got involved in the criminal network.
A desperate young woman
The young woman rented a van and a VW Golf for the suspects and even chauffeured a man to the Czech Republic. She felt intimidated by the men who spoke Arabic and whom she did not understand. She stated that the gang planned to buy firecrackers to obtain black powder for the blasts. When the explosions occurred, the perpetrators hid e-scooters in one of the vehicles to escape.
Finally, the court formulated a verdict: She was sentenced to 24 months in prison for her active assistance, of which five months were unconditional. Since she had already spent some time in custody, she only has to serve two months. Once again it becomes clear that crime can become a dangerous temptation for many young people, especially in financial emergencies.
Context of rising crime
The current developments in Vienna are not isolated. Crime statistics show alarming trends, such as: Statista reported. In 2023, around 528,000 crimes were reported, the highest level since 2016. What is particularly striking is that over a third of the crimes, around 186,000, occurred in Vienna alone.
In addition, 2023 was a record year with around 85,400 thefts, while a high number of suspects came from abroad. This is fueling public concern that immigrants are exacerbating crime problems, as 70% of Austrians believe. Drug-related crime has also increased, with Vienna recording the most cases.
The investigators and the judiciary are obviously struggling to combat this wave of crime, especially since the clearance rate in 2023 was 52.3%, only slightly increasing compared to the previous year. The recent events surrounding the ATM explosion could therefore illustrate the urgent need for action and stimulate collective efforts to combat crime.
The city of Vienna alone faces the challenge of maintaining security and trust in the judiciary. A fine line that politicians and the population have to walk.
The future will show how Vienna and Austria as a whole will react to these worrying developments. We can only hope that the security forces will be strengthened to combat crime.