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CRIME

Nazi ritual murder now ‘cannibalistic’

Fresh details have emerged in the case of a grisly murder, which suggest the alleged killer may have engaged in cannibalism after killing his 20-year-old victim.

Published: 25 October 2014 21:44 CEST
Nazi ritual murder now 'cannibalistic'
The murder happened in one of these apartments. Photo: APA/NEUMAYR

On October 9th, a 21-year-old man was arrested for the suspected murder of Mirela B., a 20-year-old woman in the town of Saalfelden, in the Austrian province of Salzburg.

At the time of the incident, information about the murder was sketchy, but now new details have emerged, although they have not been confirmed by police.

According to a report from Austrian national broadcaster ORF, the young woman had Nazi symbols carved into her skin, as part of a ritual murder.  

Multiple knives had been used, and the young woman had also been raped. She was found stabbed to death in the bathroom of the suspect's mother's house, lying in a pool of blood.

The young man was an acquaintance of the woman, but was not her boyfriend, according to one report.  

The man was 20 years old at the time of the murder, but has since had a birthday.

On Friday morning, fresh leaks from reliable sources suggest that there were "elements of cannibalism" in the ritual murder, where the young man is thought to have eaten part of the young woman's body.

The Salzburg prosecutor refused to confirm any additional details of the case, saying that they are waiting for a psychological assessment of the suspect, as well as a final autopsy report.

The young man is being held in custody, and will appear before a judge on Monday, but a formal indictment is not expected for another three months.

The man is said to have been obsessed with “deviant thoughts” and spent a lot of time on Internet chat forums.

The accused is reported to have said that he was not in a relationship with the murdered woman and that there had been no argument before he attacked her. Some of his neighbours reported hearing screaming from his apartment.

Police received an emergency call around 1am on October 9th after the woman’s neighbours reported hearing a loud argument.  

When police and paramedics arrived they found the woman lying on the floor with stab wounds. The suspect remained in the apartment and did not resist arrest.

It is believed the woman was murdered with a kitchen knife. 

Police spokeswoman Irene Stauffer said it is unclear what the motive for the attack was. 

Saalfelden's mayor Erich Rohrmoser said that everybody in the community was "asking how such a thing could happen", and promised to help the victim's family. 

Around 16,000 people live in Saalfelden, nestled in a picturesque valley near Salzburg.


Saalfelden valley.  Photo: Vearthy/Wikimedia

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CRIME

Are there ‘young gangs’ forming in Vienna?

If you read Austrian tabloid media, Vienna has a 'gang' problem, with several crimes committed by groups of young people in recent months. But is that true?

Published: 18 April 2024 13:17 CEST
Are there 'young gangs' forming in Vienna?

Austrian tabloid media jumps on such stories: a group of teenage girls breaking into cars in Linz or vandalism and robberies committed by young people in Vienna. Particularly in the capital, it seems that there was a rise in crimes committed by groups of young people. But does that mean that Vienna has a gang problem?

According to the newspaper daily Der Standard, the Vienna Provincial Police Directorate (LPD) repeatedly states that the much-cited youth gangs do not exist but that there is “an increase in young people appearing in groups and committing offences”.  

What does that mean, and what is the difference between “young people appearing in groups and committing offences” and gangs?

According to the police: “The term gang is commonly used in everyday language – without a precise definition in this context. In criminal law, however, the term is clearly defined. From a criminal law perspective, a gang is an organised, hierarchically structured group of people intent on committing offences on an ongoing basis.”

READ ALSO: Which crimes are on the rise in Austria?

According to the police, they are dealing with “groups that come together spontaneously” and are not “hierarchically organised.” These groups mostly commit “thefts or minor robberies” but are not criminal organisations. 

So, technically, Vienna does not have a “youth gang” problem, but it does have an increase in young people in groups committing crimes – though the police didn’t share official numbers.

A recent Kurier report stated that the number of crimes committed by young people and children under the age of 14 has doubled in the last ten years.

At the same time, there has only been a slight increase among young people over the age of 14 and even a decrease among young adults. The main crimes committed by young people and adolescents are theft, damage to property, assault, burglary and dangerous threats.

Christian Holzhacker, Head of Education at the Association of Viennese Youth Centers, told Der Standard that it is important not to “stigmatise” an age group and that the word gang is often used in an “inflationary way”. He points out that in relation to the size of the Viennese population, the number of minors committing crimes is small, even if it is increasing.

He also highlighted that stigmatising regions or groups of young people who get together in public spaces is not the answer. “If you want to fight crime, you have to look at the realities of the lives of the people who have committed crimes,” he said.

READ ALSO: Is Vienna a safe city to visit?

What are the police doing about the crime?

Austria’s federal criminal police office has gathered a new special task force to combat youth crime (EJK). According to the Ministry of the Interior, the idea is to recognise the new phenomenon and combat youth gangs in Austria. 

The task force is set to carry out checks in public spaces, particularly in urban areas and “potential hotspots”, Kurier reported.

The task force also set up a “panel of experts” to suggest how parents can be more responsible, how children’s use of social media and cell phones can be improved, and how the asylum system can better accommodate young migrants.

However, Dieter Csefan, head of the task force, told Die Presse that most young offenders were born in Austria.

“There are unaccompanied minors, but the young people we meet in the groups and gangs usually have parents. And the prolific offenders often come from a normal home. They can also be native Austrians. So it’s not always just Afghans or Syrians”, he said.

He also mentioned that “lowering the age of criminal responsibility is one suggestion” to fight crime. Currently, the age is set at 18, but there are discussions and proposals to lower it to twelve. However, “that alone is not necessarily enough”, he added.

READ NEXT: Which parts of Austria have the highest crime rates?

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