Explosive army miscounted

Extensive investigations have been conducted, Florian Menzi, media spokesman for military justice, said Friday in the regional SRF magazine Aargau/Solothurn. At the start of the investigation, a criminal offense was in the foreground.

The Federal Ministry of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS) reported in September 2016 that several kilograms of explosives were missing from the Infanterie Durchdiener Recruit School 14 in Aarau. The case made headlines all over Switzerland at the time.

Explosives – ie explosives, detonation cords, detonation capsules and even detonators – were missing. Such material is stored in a special ammunition magazine with thicker walls and more fuse.

The military judiciary has spared no expense to clarify the alleged loss. All accounts of all Swiss army ammunition stocks had been checked, the military justice spokesman said.

The Reppischtal-Zurich military base, where the Durchdiener RS ​​​​was used for exercises, was also examined. “The entire weapon area in Birmensdorf, including all objects and buildings, has been searched by more than 80 police officers and several service dogs,” he said on SRF radio.

More than 350 studies were conducted. A massive DNA test was launched for more than 400 people. However, there was no hit. The military judiciary also ordered investigators not involved in the case to conduct an “operative criminal justice analysis.”

The analysis found that there was more to the hypothesis that the missing explosives were due to a mistake, Menzi says: “The suspicions at the time justified such an investigation – even though the suspicion could ultimately not be substantiated.”

(SDA)