Upper Austria: Complaint After Bomb Threat Upheld
The man was not culpable at the time of the act due to a mental illness.
Intent Necessary
However, intent is a prerequisite for a cost reimbursement obligation. "Due to mental illness or profound consciousness disorder," the man could not have acted intentionally according to criminal law, it is stated. A criminal proceeding by the Swiss public prosecutor's office for dangerous threats against the man has also been discontinued, according to the "Kronen Zeitung". Medical reports revealed that the suspect suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and was in a psychotic phase at the time of the act.
The Swiss man had called the Linz police at the time and announced that "something would explode in five minutes." The police reacted immediately and began evacuating the complex. The building houses both the Linz City Police Command, departments of the State Criminal Police Office, and the Cobra task force.
Bill of 4,420 Euros
After the deadline had passed and sniffer dogs searched the building without finding a bomb, the employees were able to return to their offices. The Swiss man, known to the authorities, was quickly identified as the caller and received a bill for the operation costs amounting to 4,420 euros in October of the previous year. The man filed a complaint against this.
Incidentally, the bomb threatener is not the same Swiss man who allegedly sent threatening emails against a shopping center in Salzburg, the Wels train station, a school in Linz, and one in Graz. Here, the St. Gallen public prosecutor's office took over the proceedings in the spring. Investigations are still ongoing in Linz against another group of perpetrators operating from Germany.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.