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POLICE

Three police cadets injured in shooting prank

Three police cadets have been injured in a shooting incident in St Pölten, during a training session on Thursday.

Three police cadets injured in shooting prank
Glock guns. File photo: APA

The Heute newspaper reports that one of the cadets drew his Glock gun and fired it in high spirits, saying “let’s see whether this is loaded”.

The gun was indeed loaded and the bullet reportedly hit the floor, splintering and injuring the shooter in the thigh.

Thomas Heinreichsberger, a spokesman for Lower Austrian police, confirmed that the accident had happened and that four young cadets, two women and two men, were in the room at the time.

“One of the cadets was slightly injured in the thigh, and two of his colleagues suffered acoustic trauma,” Heinreichsberger told the Austrian Press Agency. All three were taken to hospital.

Heinreichsberger added that the exact circumstances of the accident were still being investigated and that all four cadets would be questioned.

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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.

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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