Bomb Threats in Austria: Suspected Swiss National Still Not in Custody
The man still has access to his laptop and mobile phone, a spokesperson for the responsible public prosecutor's office in St. Gallen told the APA. When asked whether further threatening letters could be sent, the spokesperson emphasized that the presumption of innocence still applies.
The public prosecutor's office in St. Gallen has not yet taken over the case. Further documents from Austria are still pending, it was said from St. Gallen. The prosecution authority involved in Austria in Linz emphasized that on February 12, "documents with the renewed request to take over the proceedings regarding four threatening letters were sent," as a spokesperson stated. Currently, an interim report is being prepared in Linz, which will probably also be forwarded to St. Gallen.
Swiss citizens must consent to extradition to other countries. Since the alleged perpetrator has not done so, Austria is dependent on the Swiss judiciary. "We will not be able to apprehend this person without the Swiss authorities," Ulrike Breiteneder from the Linz public prosecutor's office told the APA in October.
Bomb Threats: Extent of Economic Damage for ÖBB Revealed
Meanwhile, the extent of the economic damage for ÖBB has now been revealed: The amount is in the higher five-digit range, a spokesperson for ÖBB told the APA upon request. 690 trains were affected by the bomb threats last autumn. A total of 53 trains per threat were restricted, including ten ÖBB trains. The disruptions in train traffic resulted in around 29,000 minutes of delays, excluding canceled stops and trains.
The bomb threats against various Austrian train stations as well as schools and shopping centers were sent by email to their local state police directorates at the end of September and beginning of October. Since the bomb threats against the train stations were similar in wording, it was assumed early on that it was the same perpetrator. In total, several dozen bomb threats occurred, targeting not only train stations but also schools, the Vienna Regional Criminal Court, and shopping centers.
Suspected Swiss Identified by DSN
The 20-year-old Swiss at the time of the crime was subsequently identified as a suspect by the Austrian security authorities under the leadership of the Directorate for State Protection and Intelligence Service (DSN), and a European arrest warrant was issued against him based on a request for legal assistance. A raid was also conducted by the Swiss executive at his place.
It is unclear for which and how many threats the suspect could be specifically responsible. Rumors that the suspect is a mentally ill man who sent the threats from a clinic were rejected by the St. Gallen public prosecutor's office.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.