Terror Threat on New Year's Eve in Vienna: Major Operation Including Drones at New Year's Eve Path

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are among the days when the most police officers are on duty in Austria. This will also be the case this year, as announced on Monday at a press conference by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP).

Increased Terror Threat: Police on High Alert in Vienna on New Year's Eve

The threat level remains high, even though there are currently no specific indications. Lessons have been learned from attacks such as the one in Magdeburg. There will also be a major crackdown on illegal fireworks.

"I assure you at this point that the police will do everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of the population," said Karner. The aim is to take "robust" action against potential threats and rioters, to remove them from circulation and also to punish them. In terms of extremism, we are on guard, the terror warning level remains at 4 out of 5. In general, preparations have been underway for weeks, with uniformed officers cooperating with the state security as well as special and elite units.

Vienna New Year's Eve Trail as Main Focus of Operation

Neither Karner nor Federal Police Director Michael Takács wanted to reveal how many police officers will be deployed. He only said that they were adequately equipped. The main focus of the operation would be the Vienna New Year's Eve Trail, emphasized Karner. Not only officers from Vienna, but also task forces from Burgenland, Lower Austria, Salzburg and Carinthia would be deployed here. Special and operational units would act visibly similar to the Christmas markets, but also civil investigators and new technical means such as drones would be used.

No Specific Indications of Danger

Sylvia Mayer, deputy head of the Directorate for State Protection and Intelligence Service (DSN), explained that Islamist terrorism and extremism had occupied state protection most intensively in the past year. She reminded of the prevented attacks on the concerts of Taylor Swift in Vienna and the arrest in early December in Salzburg. For New Year's Eve, there are currently no specific indications of danger. However, events with great symbolic value are always to be considered acutely endangered. They are constantly exchanging information with security authorities within and outside Austria to prevent this.

Strict Fireworks Checks Also Announced

The police also focus on illegal fireworks and crackers. There are clear rules, the illegal use is not a minor offense, said Interior Minister Karner: "These are not pranks, they can become a deadly danger." The police will act consistently on New Year's Eve. There are administrative penalties, with 30 to 50 Euros due, reports with up to 3,600 Euros and for traders up to 10,000 Euros fine for the sale of illegal fireworks or for sale to unauthorized persons, said Takács. Since November, around 10,000 illegal items have already been confiscated, with 1.3 to 1.4 tons of "almost explosive material".

(APA/Red)

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