State Protection Chief Haijawi-Pirchner Bids Farewell Early

The head of the Directorate of State Protection and Intelligence Service (DSN), Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, is stepping down from this position at the end of the year, eleven months before the end of his term. In a statement sent to the APA, "personal reasons" are cited. However, Haijawi-Pirchner will continue to work in the Ministry of the Interior in the area of state protection.

Project Leadership

Specifically, he will lead the project for the planned evaluation of the State Protection and Intelligence Service Act and the DSN. The aim is to secure proven structures and make the best possible use of potential optimization opportunities, according to the ministry.

The decision to step down from his position early was not easy for him, the DSN head stated in the announcement. It has been a particularly responsible and honorable task, which he has always carried out with respect for the people. In the nearly four years since the implementation of the directorate, many important steps have been taken, "which today allow us to look at a confidential, reliable, and networked constitutional protection."

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) and State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried (SPÖ) praised Haijawi-Pirchner's achievements in a statement. Through his tireless efforts, he has built the Directorate of State Protection and Intelligence Service into what it is today - an internationally recognized and effective organization for the prevention and combating of extremism and terrorism, wrote the head of the department. His State Secretary stated that rebuilding the DSN from the ground up with a reform was a remarkable task that Haijawi-Pirchner accomplished excellently.

Hundreds of House Searches

The record of the DSN under its leader shows about 900 house searches, of which 670 were conducted in the area of right-wing extremism alone. 275 people were arrested, including 162 in the field of right-wing extremism and 67 Islamists. Karner assures that the directorate will continue to take decisive action against all forms of extremism.

Who Will Succeed Haijawi-Pirchner?

After the end of Haijawi-Pirchner's term, the affairs of the directorate will be managed by his deputy Sylvia Mayer. The permanent appointment will be clarified through the usual selection process, including a candidate hearing.

Haijawi-Pirchner took over the leadership of the authority in the fall of 2021. Before that, he was the head of the Lower Austria State Criminal Office. His deputies at the beginning of his term, David Blum and Michael Lohnegger, also ended their terms prematurely. Lohnegger became the head of the Styrian State Criminal Office in 2024, and Blum had already moved to the private sector at the beginning of 2023.

(APA/Red)

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