Cigarette machine blasted in Berlin; suspects escape by car

Police are investigating an explosion that destroyed a cigarette vending machine in Berlin's Hansaviertel district overnight. A resident reported hearing a loud bang around midnight on Siegmunds Hof street and immediately contacted authorities. The perpetrators reportedly fled the scene in a vehicle.

Officers arriving at the location found the machine completely destroyed. This incident adds to a concerning trend in Berlin, where vending machine explosions have become more frequent. The number of such incidents in the city rose sharply in 2024, reaching 44 cases, a significant jump from the 24 recorded in 2023.

Nationwide, however, the total number of vending machine explosions has seen a notable decrease, falling to 269 in 2023 from 461 the previous year. More recent federal data is not yet available, but the Berlin trend suggests a localized surge in this type of crime.