Police Launch Major Raid in Seven Federal States: Several Arrests

The at least 17 victims are homosexuals who were falsely accused of pedophilia by the suspects. As a result, the perpetrators robbed, injured, and humiliated them. In one case, attempted murder is also being considered. Weapons and Nazi memorabilia were found during the house searches.

Around 400 police officers and detectives, special forces from the Cobra task force and WEGA were involved in the operation on behalf of the Graz public prosecutor's office early Friday morning throughout Austria, except for Carinthia and Vorarlberg, as well as in neighboring Slovakia. A total of at least 23 house searches took place. Hate crime involves prejudice-motivated crimes. The perpetrators deliberately choose the victims because they belong to a group they reject.

Masked Perpetrators Abused and Humiliated Victims

During the day, authorities reported at a press conference of up to 15 arrests: twelve men and three women aged 14 to 26. In the evening, ORF reported at least one more arrest. Investigators did not rule out the possibility that the number could still rise, upon APA inquiry. The ORF program "Wien heute" reported that three of the house searches took place in Vienna.

The suspects are said to have created fake accounts on social networks since May 2024, luring predominantly homosexual men to meetings in remote locations. There, the victims were met by four to eight masked individuals and subjected to abuse and humiliation. The perpetrators also filmed the assaults and subsequently uploaded these videos to internal groups as well as on the internet and relevant forums, described Michael Lohnegger, head of the State Criminal Police Office of Styria, during a press statement on Friday morning while the raid was still ongoing.

The arrested individuals will now first be interrogated by the police. Within 48 hours, a decision must be made on whether to apply for pre-trial detention for the partially still juvenile suspects. This decision is the responsibility of the Graz public prosecutor's office, where the investigations are primarily pending, as confirmed by authority spokesperson Christian Kroschl upon APA inquiry. According to Kroschl, the Graz Regional Court for Criminal Matters would be responsible for imposing pre-trial detention, which would likely be conducted via video conferences for suspects not arrested in Styria. If the suspects remain in custody after their police interrogations, they will initially be taken to the nearest correctional facility (JA). If pre-trial detention is imposed, which according to the Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO) is initially valid for 14 days, the suspects would likely be transferred to Graz subsequently.

"Urgently Needed Strike Against Hate Crime"

Lohnegger further stated: "This is an urgently needed strike against hate crime. In this hate crime offense, we are dealing with the prejudice motive of sexual orientation." The acts were primarily directed against the homosexual scene. The origin lies in the spring of the previous year: "In May and June, several robberies were reported in the south of the Graz-Umgebung district." The investigations showed "that it was not about classic street robbery, but rather a 'hate crime' offense, where the aim is to injure and humiliate people," said Lohnegger.

Similarly, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) stated: "Under the leadership of the State Criminal Police Office of Styria, the Austrian police have succeeded in delivering a severe blow against a national criminal network. A, according to current investigation status, extremely brutal and inhumane group of perpetrators has been taken out of circulation," he said. "In these crimes, internationally called 'hate crime', homosexual people are often threatened, tortured, humiliated, and also robbed. The investigations will continue with high pressure to quickly remove any possible further perpetrators from circulation," emphasized Karner.

Task Force "Venator" Since October 2024

After this so-called "pedo-hunter scene" continued to spread, the State Criminal Police Office took over the investigations, said Lohnegger. Further criminal acts were identified, which is why the task force "Venator" was established within the LKA in October 2024. "The perpetrator groups created fake accounts on social media and various contact platforms to lure potential victims," Lohnegger described the perpetrators' approach. When contacting the victims, sexual acts were sometimes arranged "in secluded spots," the LKA head continued. "However, they do not encounter the promised meeting there, but rather four to eight masked individuals who severely mistreat the victims. We have recorded serious intentional bodily harm, in one case even an attempted murder."

According to the investigators, the perpetrator group was not only concerned with injuring the victims but also robbing and humiliating them and filming the whole thing: "Victims have to dance with the masked perpetrators, and these videos were then uploaded to corresponding private groups." The arrests are a first blow against the scene. The police assume a high number of unreported cases and ask possible further victims to come forward, "because such acts need to be rigorously stopped." The suspects have "become increasingly brutal from act to act, and the injuries have become increasingly severe." "The humiliations took on an above-average extent," said Lohnegger.

Under the "Cloak of Vigilantism"

In response to an APA inquiry, it was stated that among the 15 arrested individuals, eleven have Austrian citizenship, one Croatian, one Romanian, one Slovak, and one German. One arrest took place in Slovakia, the others in Austria. Currently, investigators have 17 criminally relevant incidents, but more are expected.

According to Lohnegger, the alleged perpetrators were networked nationwide. The group originated south of Graz, then expanded to Styria and then throughout Austria - there were even specific "administrators" in the group. Regarding the motive, Lohnegger explained that the suspects acted under the "cloak of vigilantism": "Officially, they are concerned with removing or humiliating pedophiles from society, but - as the investigations also show - the perpetrators are well aware that the victims are not pedophiles." These "cruel acts" were "glossed over" by the alleged perpetrators to justify them to themselves.

"Not a Single Victim is Pedophile"

Whether the alleged perpetrators are Identitarians, as weapons and illegal items under the Prohibition Act were found during the house searches, the police could not initially answer. Deputy State Police Director Joachim Huber emphasized that "not a single victim is pedophile."

The Graz Public Prosecutor's Office also confirmed in response to an APA inquiry that a trial against three defendants, who targeted homosexuals with the same modus operandi, began at the Graz Regional Criminal Court about two weeks ago. However, due to ongoing investigations, the trial was held behind closed doors. "There is a connection between the three defendants and the house searches," said spokesman Christian Kroschl. The trial remained without a verdict for the time being and was adjourned.

"Hate Crime": Outrage Over the Group's Approach

On Friday, there was shock over the case of hate crime that led to a raid in seven federal states. SPÖ equality spokesperson Mario Lindner was shocked. For him, it was only the "sad tip of an iceberg." This shows "once again that the situation for queer people in Austria is becoming increasingly threatening," said David Stögmüller, LGBTIQ+ spokesperson for the Greens. NEOS LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Henrike Brandstötter also condemned the case.

"I am stunned that something like this is happening in Austria in the year 2025," said Lindner from the SPÖ. "My thanks go to the emergency services and everyone involved in solving these heinous crimes," said the politician. "As a gay man, I know the hatred many people still face here because of their sexual orientation. But for people to come together to lure homosexuals into traps, attack them, seriously injure them, and then share these crimes is a cowardly and disgusting act that must alarm us all." He encouraged potential further victims to report to the police.

Deliberately Fueling Prejudices and Spreading Lies

For Lindner, it is clear that this is only the sad tip of the iceberg. "We have been experiencing in Austria for years that hatred against LGBTIQ+ people is increasing, that prejudices are deliberately fueled, and lies are spread. All of this has terrible consequences!" emphasized Lindner. "That these cowardly perpetrators, according to police reports, saw their crimes as vigilante justice and accused their victims of pedophilia does not come from nowhere - it is the direct consequence of those lies and fake news that are deliberately spread on social media by right-wing extremist circles."

"More and more people from the right and far-right scene feel encouraged by the growing social acceptance of hate, homophobia, and transphobia to implement their inhumane idea of justice themselves," said Stögmüller from the Greens. That this logic of vigilante justice is now also taking root in Austria is particularly worrying." And Agnes Prammer, spokesperson for the Greens for security and human rights, said: "I am relieved that our investigative authorities are treating these hate crimes for what they are: organized, violent groups committing serious crimes out of pure hatred for people whose sexual orientation or gender identity they do not accept."

"This violence is not only an attack on individuals - it is an attack on freedom, on human rights, and on our open society," said Brandstötter from the NEOS. "A clear stance against queer hostility is needed - in politics, in the judiciary, and in the digital world."

Such attacks are also not isolated incidents, emphasized Brandstötter. "In authoritarian states like Russia, the targeted ambushing and punishing of queer people via dating platforms has long been part of systematic repression." That similar patterns are now becoming visible in Austria is a warning sign that must not be ignored. "We must not stand by and watch as hate, which is already commonplace in authoritarian regimes, takes root here as well. The rule of law must react with full force - while simultaneously strengthening prevention, education, and protection."

(APA/Red)

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