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Armed man threatens murder in divorce fight

The armed police task force Cobra was called out on Sunday afternoon to an address in Wien-Favoriten when a 33-year-old man threatened his wife with a gun, after she told him she wanted a divorce.

Armed man threatens murder in divorce fight
Photo: FOTO: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER
After hearing his wife's plans, the man went to get his gun, and allegedly threatened to kill his 32-year-old wife.  During the argument, the man fired twice into the wall of a nursery, police spokesman Thomas Keiblinger told the Austrian Press Association.
 
The woman fled her home and called the police at 12:39 pm.  The Cobra unit cordoned off the area, and from a vantage point of a neighbour's house, were able to see the armed 33-year-old, who was still in the apartment with his mother and his brother.
 
According to police, the man was deeply upset, and at one point threatened suicide by placing the weapon against his own head.
 
After negotiating with the man, Cobra officials were able to persuade him to put down his weapon, and he was then arrested without resistance.
 
The children of the couple were not in the apartment at the time of the incident.  
 
Police finally lifted the lock-down on the street at around 4 p.m.  A 33-year-old man is in custody being questioned.  His mother and brother are also being interviewed by police.

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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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