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POLICE

500 policemen involved in eviction of squatters

Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) says that there were only 500 policemen directly involved in the eviction of the squatters from the house in the Mühlfeldgasse in Vienna's 2nd district on Monday.

Published: 31 July 2014 10:35 CEST
500 policemen involved in eviction of squatters
Johanna Mikl-Leitner. Photo: APA (Archiv/Fohringer)

1,000 policemen were there "for other measures in the whole city-zone" she said on Wednesday in national broadcaster ORF's evening news bulletin ZiB 2.

There was broad criticism all over Austria that there were too many police personnel involved, which was widely regarded as disproportionate. Some sources had reported that there were about 1,700 policemen on duty.

Mikl-Leitner added that those 500 policemen were not there all at the same time, but spread throughout the day, between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm.  

The police previously refused to disclose how many personnel were involved. Police spokesman Roman Hahslinger had said on Monday that there were definitely more than 1,000.

Mikl-Leitner defended the police operation saying it was well-planned and that it was not an "easy" operation.

It was expected that there would be "fierce resistance" to the eviction after there had been calls for violent resistance on the Internet, she said. 

If things had escalated, because police had not provided enough personnel, then the force would have been heavily criticised, Mikl-Leitner said.

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CRIME

Austria detains suspected Islamists amid security fears

Authorities in Austria have detained three people amid concerns over calls for terror attacks on December 24th.

Published: 24 December 2023 15:01 CET
Austria detains suspected Islamists amid security fears

Austria on Sunday said three people were detained for suspected involvement in an “Islamist network”, as Vienna and Cologne step up police controls citing heightened security concerns during Christmas.

German police are carrying out strict controls at the entry of the cathedral in the western city of Cologne following a “danger warning” for New Year’s Eve.

Austrian police have also stepped up checks, especially around churches, religious events and Christmas markets in Vienna, citing an “increased risk”.

Austrian authorities “intervening in an Islamist network” made four arrests Saturday, the interior ministry said Sunday.

A ministry spokesman said of the four, three had been detained pending further investigations.

“There was no immediate threat of an attack in Vienna,” he told AFP, declining to comment further.

According to the German daily Bild, one arrest was also made in Germany.

The arrested suspects are said to be Tajiks who allegedly wanted to carry out attacks for Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), an IS offshoot in Afghanistan, Bild reported.

“Terrorist actors across Europe are calling for attacks on Christian events — especially around December 24th,” Vienna police said in a statement.

Besides Austria and Germany, Spain also received indications that an Islamist group was planning several attacks in Europe, possibly on New Year’s Eve and Christmas, Bild said.

According to the newspaper, the targets of these attacks could be Christmas masses in Cologne, Vienna and Madrid.

In July, a cell of suspected Islamists from IS-K was dismantled in Germany and the Netherlands.

Those arrested in Germany were said at the time to have been planning an attack in the country.

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