"Hate Crime": Number of Arrests Increases
Interviews with victims have now revealed that heterosexuals are also among them, a spokesperson said. For 13 of the suspects arrested in Austria, detention in the judicial institution has been ordered, Christian Kroschl from the prosecution authority in the state capital reported.
The fact that not only homosexuals are affected in the case, as stated on Friday, has been revealed by interrogations and statements from victims, said the spokesperson for the State Police Directorate of Styria. He also mentioned "investigation results." He could not go into further detail, the officer added.
The court will decide on the imposition of pre-trial detention over the weekend, the spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office announced. Regarding a person arrested in Slovakia, extradition has been requested from the authorities in the neighboring country. In addition, 26 house searches have been carried out. "Numerous items were secured, and the data carriers of the accused were confiscated for forensic analysis," said Kroschl. He also pointed out that more information in the case is "currently unfortunately not possible for tactical reasons."
Many Data Carriers Found
The police also spoke of "large quantities" of data carriers that have been discovered. Previously, it was also stated that further perpetrators, acts, and victims had been identified. Regarding the latter, at least 17 were mentioned on Friday.
The victims have been falsely accused of pedophilia by the suspects. According to the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) Styria, they have been robbed, injured, and humiliated. Intentional serious bodily harm is suspected, and in one case, attempted murder. During the house searches, in addition to data carriers, weapons and Nazi memorabilia were also found.
"Hate-Crime" Case: Police Suspect High Number of Unreported Cases
The police suspect a high number of unreported cases in the "hate-crime" case. Therefore, on Saturday, a call was renewed for victims to contact the LKA in Graz (Tel.: 059133 / 603333).
15 of those arrested, twelve men and three women, are aged between 14 and 26. They include eleven suspects with Austrian citizenship and one person each with Croatian, Romanian, Slovakian, and German citizenship. As of Saturday, there were no further details on the other three individuals.
Cobra and WEGA in Action
About 400 police officers and detectives, as well as special forces from the Cobra task force and WEGA, were involved in the operation across seven federal states, excluding Carinthia and Vorarlberg, and in Slovakia early on Friday morning. Hate crime involves offenses motivated by prejudice. The perpetrators deliberately choose victims because they belong to a group they reject.
According to APA information, there were four arrests and five house searches in Lower Austria. The ORF program "Vienna Today" reported on Friday evening about three searches in the federal capital.
(APA/Red)
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