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POLICE

Chechen shot dead in Salzburg market town

A 53-year-old Chechen man was shot dead in the market town of Strasswalchen in the Flachau region of Salzburg on Thursday afternoon. Shortly afterwards police arrested a 54-year-old suspect - also from Chechnya - who was armed with a gun.

Chechen shot dead in Salzburg market town
Police investigate the crime scene. Photo: APA/MANFRED FESL

The dead man’s son discovered his father’s body and raised the alarm but paramedics were unable to revive him.

The suspect had fled on foot towards the forest on the edge of Strasswalchen, and several police cars pursued him.

Two kilometres from the crime scene the armed man was apprehended and arrested, offering no resistance to officers. 

In the presence of an interpreter he said that he and the victim had had an argument and that the 53-year-old had repeatedly insulted his honour. When he refused to back down the 54-year-old said he had drawn his gun and the two had tussled. He claimed that the gun went off during the scuffle and a bullet hit the younger man in the chest.

The Chechen did not have a license for the gun, and told police that he had “found it” two years ago in Vienna. He has been taken to Salzburg prison.

Groups of Chechens and Afghans recently clashed on the streets of Salzburg and the city’s Director of Security, Franz Ruf, told the Kronen Zeitung paper that violent crimes are increasingly associated with both groups of refugees. 

A local police chief from Strasswalchen told the paper that people in the town used to leave their doors unlocked but increasingly instances of theft and break-ins meant they were less trusting.

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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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