Foiled attack on IBM comes to court
Bern, 09.05.2011 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has indicted two Italian citizens and a Swiss man resident in Italy on charges relating to a planned bomb attack on the IBM nanotechnology centre in Rüschlikon. The indictment was filed in the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona on 6 May 2011.
On 15 April 2010, three persons were stopped at the traffic checkpoint near the Albis Pass (ZH). Explosives and other materials that could be used in an attack were discovered in the car. The finds were made in the boot and in the area of the passenger seat, and the female passenger was found to be carrying two packages of explosives (a total 476 grammes); these are all components required to build a so-called improvised explosive device (IED). In addition, 31 letters handwritten in German were found in the car. In the letters a group naming itself as "ELF SWITZERLAND EARTH LIBERATION FRONT" claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on the IBM nanotechnology centre in Rüschlikon, which at the time was still under construction.
The criminal investigation carried out by the OAG and the Federal Criminal Police (FCP) revealed that the three persons arrived in Switzerland separately on 14 and 15 April 2010, all having set out from Bergamo. It is suspected that the explosives were transported illegally over the border at Brissago. The three suspects were driving together in a rented car from the Ticino towards the Zurich area and were around three kilometres from the target mentioned in the letters when stopped and arrested. Since their arrest, the three have been held in pre-trial detention.
The OAG indictment specifies the offences of acts preparatory to arson (Art. 260bis para. 1 and 3 in conjunction with Art. 221 para. 1 of the Swiss Criminal Code; SCC), concealment and transport of explosives (Art. 226 para. 2 SCC) and the unauthorized handling (import) of explosives (Art. 37 Sec. 1 in conjunction with Art. 4 Explosives Act and Art. 31 para. 1 Explosives Ordinance; ExplA and ExplO). The accused are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court. With the filing of the indictment, the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona is now responsible for media information.
Address for enquiries
Jeannette Balmer, Spokeswoman OAG, +41 31 324 32 40, info@ba.admin.ch
Publisher
Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland
http://www.ba.admin.ch/
