Attempted murder in Vienna: eight previously convicted detainees – Wien Aktuell

A total of 15 people have been arrested in connection with the terrorist attack in Vienna, eight of whom had criminal records. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) said at a press conference on Thursday. Against accusations that the security authorities did not provide information about an attempted purchase of weapons by the later murderer, they defended themselves. The letter from Slovakia was received by the national authorities on October 16.

The President of the Vienna Police, Gerhard Pürstl, claimed that a report had been received and that “nothing would have happened to him” is not true. “If each action and if each step in the investigation was correct”, it will show an evaluation and the use of a commission of inquiry. “We have proceeded to the best of our knowledge so far,” emphasized Pürstl.

On 23 July, the Austrian authorities were informed via EUROPOL about a failed purchase of ammunition in Slovakia. The protection of the constitution has started investigations. The last murderer was quickly identified, the Slovak authorities were informed, but it took them a long time to confirm that he was the last perpetrator. The protection of the constitution had already carried out a risk assessment during this time. The Slovak authorities had been summoned several times, twice in writing, and once the investigators had called that “we urgently need information”, declared the director general of Public Security, Franz Ruf. Because an observation is only possible “if the identity is assured”.

Of course, “the other surveys held up afterwards, so assessing people’s risk is not an easy matter,” Pürstl said. Local authorities received the letter from Slovakia on October 16. However, according to Pürstl, “it was not certain until the end that one of the men had tried to buy the ammunition.” It was also emphasized on Thursday that the purchase of rifle ammunition is not a crime and, for example, can be carried out in Austria by innocent citizens aged 18 or over. On November 2, the 20-year-old murderer committed the bombing in Vienna in which four people died.

“No one should be tempted to start reading a detective novel from behind,” Pürstl said. State security responded immediately, but the risk assessment is always a forecast, Pürstl said. “We have a clear conscience about it, but I cannot say that everything went well and that is why we will investigate it,” said the police commissioner. “We can only make an observation if identity is assured,” Ruf said. After a request from the investigator, it must be approved by the legal protection officer.

More details on the 15 people detained after the attack were released at the press conference, all of whom have already been admitted to jails. According to Ruf, the 15 are being investigated for possible contributors to the murder and terrorist organization. All must be assigned to the radical Islamist milieu.

Eight of the 15 have already been convicted of various crimes. Four for the crime of criminal association, two for various violent crimes such as resisting state violence and coercion, and two for attempted honor killing in Linz. According to Ruf, one of the men was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2012 and released in 2017, the second was released as a taxpayer for five years and six months and released in 2015. According to information from the APA, there is already a final charge against at least one other person arrested, an 18-year-old, also for belonging to a criminal organization.

The Interior Minister also explained that there are two lines of investigation, one leading to Switzerland, where two people have already been arrested. Another branch of the investigation leads to a country that Nehammer did not want to name due to ongoing investigations. It should be Germany. Nehammer highlighted the good cooperation with the authorities of the international partners. There is also “intensive” cooperation with the FBI. It has not been easy to regain the trust of partner countries and associated services, he said. The full investigation of the perpetrator’s network is not yet complete.

Nehammer once again praised the highly professional work of the police on Monday. After four hours the author was identified. Ruf entered the course of the attack. The emergency call was received at 8 pm, the first shot by a police officer was fired at 8:03 pm – by the officer who was beaten by the killer. There were a total of five more shootings before Vega “took out” the perpetrator. According to the CEO, the 20-year-old was hit under the left shoulder blade and the projectile injured his left lung and spine.

Regarding the allegation that the first officers to intervene were not equipped with an assault rifle, Pürstl said this could be dangerous due to the urban area. Any use of a weapon in the urban area, and in particular an assault rifle, is extremely dangerous and any ricochet can be dangerous for passersby. The Vienna police have about 1,000 assault rifles.

The first car radio was “65 seconds after the on-site emergency call.” The three district radio vehicles had not considered a terrorist situation. Therefore, they would not have considered using an assault rifle to combat the perpetrators, but instead used the pistol first. It is not so easy for colleagues to classify the operation right away. There is no “deficit” in terms of equipment. “We can’t see any omissions here,” Pürstl said.

Ruf made it clear Thursday that the arrest of the 15 people was not related to the “Ramses” counterterrorism operation, which was scheduled for Tuesday. “No major action was planned against the perpetrator and the 15 people arrested. The rest of the information is incorrect,” the general manager said. Nehammer emphasized that there are ongoing operations, the fight against terrorism has not been taking place since Monday. If such actions were announced, the operation would be dead and undercover investigators in danger, according to Nehammer.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer sees connections between the Islamist assassin in Vienna and Germany. “With the Vienna case, we also have links with Germany to threats that are monitored around the clock,” the CSU politician said in the Bundestag on Thursday. The day before, a ministry spokesperson said there were no directly relevant connections.

The interior minister said that right-wing extremism represents the biggest threat in Germany. But the threat posed by Islamist terror is also high. There are 615 Islamist threats in Germany that are monitored around the clock. “Attacks should be expected at any time,” Seehofer said. The fight against terrorism is not directed against Islam, but against “violent extremism”.

Since the Slovak authorities informed the Austrian authorities in July of the attempted purchase of ammunition by the later killer in Vienna, the protection of the constitution has carried out a risk assessment. This was not yet completed at the time of the attack. Because it was not until October 16 that the national authorities received a response from Slovakia, but this did not provide “definitive clarity” on whether the buyer was the subsequent culprit.

Pürstl and Ruf explained it at the press conference. According to Ruf, a risk assessment is always a “comprehensive process.” Only when this has been completed and new investigative approaches have emerged will the legal protection officer at the Home Office have been discussed. He is designated to exercise special legal protection in the investigation service of the security authorities. He is responsible for the review of various investigative measures of the security police. This also includes investigations carried out by state security authorities in application of the Police State Security Law (PStSG), for example in the case of observations.

On July 23, the national crime agency, located in the Slovak Ministry of the Interior, sent all related information about the attempted purchase of ammunition by the Vienna bomber through Europol’s national liaison office for protection of the constitution, both to the LVT and the BVT. Consequently, on July 21, 2020, two people – “probably of Arab, Turkish or Chechen origin” – attempted to buy “7.62 x 39mm ammunition for the AK 47 (Kalashnikov) assault rifle” from gun shops in Bratislava. According to the documents, these people used a white BMW car with an Austrian license plate.

Photos from a gun store surveillance camera were attached. The Austrian authorities subsequently identified the two men and relayed this information to the Slovaks, who consulted the arms dealer. One of the men was identified by him as the last murderer in Vienna, the second is probably a man who has now also been arrested and belongs to the radical Islamist scene. However, this was not recognized by the arms dealer.

Local Slovak authorities had to urge them several times before receiving the letter on October 16, confirming that the failed arms buyer was the latest murderer. But even then there would have been “no final clarity,” Ruf explained. Meanwhile, the risk assessment was underway, explained the CEO.

Pürstl emphasized that if there are suspicions, powerful action cannot be taken immediately. “As the state security authority, we have to make a corresponding assessment of the dangerous situation,” he said. There are standardized programs that ran in August and September, and state security took action immediately after the information was received.

This would have led to further investigation steps. “I can only say so much that this assessment that was made would not have led to any possible immediate and prompt arrest or permanent surveillance,” emphasized Pürstl. A risk assessment is always a prognosis and therefore is never 100% accurate, the police chief said.

In any case, after receiving the letter, the risk assessment was intensified. The killer also wanted to buy commercially available ammunition, which is not a crime. As the APA learned this Thursday, state security agents receive around 1,000 pieces of information with sensitive content from abroad that must be reviewed.

As soon as there is a suspicion of a judicially criminal act, the public prosecutor should be informed, explained Friedrich Forsthuber, president of the criminal law section of the Austrian association of judges. The prosecution had not been informed of the attempted purchase by the intelligence agencies. In either case, risk assessment is up to the police based on the information available to them, Forsthuber explained.