Austrian authorities have stopped a planned terrorist attack against Saturday’s Pride Parade in Vienna, reports say Kronen Zeitung.
Three young men were arrested and throwing stars and sabers were confiscated.
– The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence has once again shown that it consistently and effectively fights every form of extremism, says Gerhard Karner, Minister of the Interior.
The Pride Festival in Vienna ended with a big parade through the city on Sunday. A parade that could have ended in tragedy – if it weren’t for the preventive work of the security police.
At a press conference on Sunday morning, the country’s authorities announced that they had ruled out a terrorist attack that was to be carried out against the parade.
Three young men, aged 14, 17 and 20, were arrested and a large number of weapons were seized.
Linked to IS – radicalized on the internet
According to the security police, the men sympathized with violent Islamist groups and are said to have been radicalized via the internet. The men were closely monitored by Austrian authorities who were able to pick up hints about the impending terrorist act early on.
– They sympathized with the Islamic State on the internet and shared extremist content. In this context, the suspects focused on the Pride parade as a potential target for an attack, says Gerhard Karner.
Prior to the parade, the police’s intelligence work had led to them deciding to search the house. A large number of weapons were then found in the men’s homes. Among other things, sabers, axes, converted air rifles, knives, throwing stars and gas pressure weapons in the form of automatic rifles were seized.
The police also allegedly had indications that a vehicle was planned to be used in the attack.
– A few days ago Interpol published a report that attacks are being prepared in Europe. The crime would be carried out with simple weapons such as knives. So we take this very seriously, says Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Director, Security and Intelligence Service.
The young men are being held in custody in St. Pölten prison in anticipation of the upcoming detention hearings.