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POLICE

Suicidal man shot himself with cop’s gun

A 48-year-old man from the Austrian province of Carinthia grabbed a policeman's gun while riding to the station in a police car on Wednesday, and shot himself in the head.

Published: 17 September 2014 19:18 CEST
Suicidal man shot himself with cop's gun
Photo: APA (Archiv/Hochmuth)

The man's mother called the police to come to his house, because she was very worried about her son.  The man, from the Heiligenblut suburb of Spittal, told police that he had serious personal problems, and was experiencing suicidal ideation.

The two police invited him to accompany them to the station, where they could talk about the problems, and look for a solution.

The man sat without restraints in the back seat of the police car.  During the journey to the station, and completely without warning, the man reached for the gun of one of the police in the front seat, then immediately shot himself in the head.

Neither of the police offers were injured.  One of the officers experienced severe shock, and was subsequently treated in hospital.

"The investigation of this incident has been taken over by the state police of Carinthia," police spokesman Rainer Dionisio told the Austrian Press Agency (APA).

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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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