The 37-year-old was sentenced to the minimum penalty of ten years in prison and will also be admitted to a forensic-therapeutic center. The verdict is final. The defendant's motive: The previously unblemished, unemployed, and indebted 37-year-old was looking for a "permanent home" in prison.

Defendant in Trial After Hostage-Taking at AMS Gmunden: Was Looking for a "Permanent Home"

When the man entered the AMS building on September 19, 2024, he had three large kitchen knives and four handcuffs in his backpack, according to the indictment. At an information desk, he allegedly threatened an employee and took him hostage. He is also said to have threatened another AMS employee. He then demanded that all other people on the floor leave the building, called the police himself, requested the negotiation group, and was arrested shortly thereafter.

The prosecutor initially described the defendant's unsuccessful career path. In June, his unemployment benefits were suspended because he repeatedly contributed to job offers falling through due to his behavior. The rent arrears and debts kept increasing, eviction was imminent, and the man began researching how to get a "permanent home," quoted the prosecutor from the statement the man himself had made to the police emergency call. He had investigated, "what crime do I have to commit to go to prison for as long as possible without hurting anyone." He came across hostage-taking, which carries a penalty of ten to twenty years in prison.

His client regrets the act, said the defense attorney, "he was afraid of losing his existence." The 37-year-old himself said he would have been willing to be shot by the police at the time. In his interrogation, he expressed remorse: "It's really intense what I did." In the courtroom, he apologized to the AMS employee he had taken hostage and assured: "I wouldn't have done anything to you." The AMS employee described his fear of death: "I didn't know if I would come out alive." Nevertheless, he "comes to terms" with the incident and just wants to move on, he said. Colleagues of his also described the situation as dramatic and frightening.

School Class During Hostage-Taking at AMS Gmunden

A supervisor described that at the time of the hostage-taking, a class of middle school students was in the building. However, a colleague reacted with presence of mind and kept the youths quietly occupied with a game in a locked room, so they were as safe as possible and did not notice the incident.

An expert report certifies the defendant's accountability, but also his dangerousness due to a combined personality disorder with emotional instability and histrionic as well as narcissistic traits. Distinguishing between essential and non-essential matters is as difficult for him as self-criticism, an "exaggeration of his own self-image" goes hand in hand with rapid irritability and lack of empathy, according to expert Peter Hofmann.

The prosecution requested a sentence and admission based on the expert report. The conviction was in line with the indictment for extortionate kidnapping and for - partly attempted - coercion. The ten-year sentence is the minimum penalty. The court considered, among other things, the lack of a criminal record, the confession, and the reduced capacity for control due to a personality disorder as mitigating factors.

(APA/Red)

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