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Shooting ‘accomplice’ hands himself in

A 30-year-old suspected accomplice of a Kosovo Albanian man who allegedly shot another man dead on a tram in Vienna has handed himself into police, claiming he was just an innocent bystander.

Published: 29 May 2015 10:43 CEST
Shooting 'accomplice' hands himself in
A police photo of the suspected shooter (left) and the 30-year-old (right).

Austrian police have issued an international arrest warrant for the suspected shooter, 24-year-old Ardian J., who they believe fled the country after the murder. 

The 30-year-old man told police he was not Ardian’s brother, as newspapers had reported, but simply an acquaintance.

He said he had fled the scene of the shooting in the Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus district on Sunday as he was afraid, and had spent several nights sleeping rough in parks before he was able to contact his lawyer who had been on vacation.

The man, also a Kosovo Albanian, owns a construction company and lives in Vienna. After being questioned by police he has since been released.

Witnesses saw four Kosovo Albanian men arguing on a 49 tram on Sunday evening. As two of the men (brothers) left the tram Ardian J. shot at them, killing one and seriously injuring his 25-year-old brother. A 19-year-old woman who had no connection to the men was hit in the leg by a stray bullet.

The injured brother told police that the shooting was an act of revenge in an ongoing “family feud”, but the 30-year-old said he just happened to bump into Ardian on the tram, who he knows through business, and had no idea why he had shot at the two men.

The man’s lawyer, Timo Gerersdorfer, said that his client “had no idea such a thing was going to happen”.

He told police that video surveillance footage from the tram showed that his client had tried to calm the three men down, and told them that they should all leave the tram and stop disturbing the other passengers.

Gerersdorfer said he was completely taken aback by the gun shots, which sparked traumatic memories of the former war in Yugoslavia, causing him to flee in panic.

The alleged shooter is on the run and according to a report in the Kurier newspaper even his brother and his children have gone underground.

Police believe he is hiding in the mountains in Kosovo. Kosovan police said he already has a criminal record and is believed to have shot two people in his homeland.

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CRIME

Where in Austria is your bike most likely to be stolen?

Austria promotes green transport modes in its cities, offering plenty of bike paths and spots for cyclists to park - but bike theft is on the rise.

Published: 4 April 2024 13:48 CEST
Where in Austria is your bike most likely to be stolen?

The number of bicycle thefts in Austria rose last year for the first time since 2014 by ten percent to 18,566, according to the mobility organisation VCÖ.

Only in Vienna were fewer bicycles stolen in the previous year than in the year before that, and 60 percent of bicycle thefts occurred in the state capitals, the organisation added, citing data from the ministry of interior.

In relation to the population, Linz was the hotspot for bicycle thefts; according to the VCÖ, 63 bicycles were stolen per 10,000 inhabitants in Upper Austria’s capital. It was followed by the cities of Salzburg and Klagenfurt, with 52 and 49 bicycle thefts per 10,000 people, respectively.

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

“Bicycles are also a popular means of accessing public transport. Secure and sufficient bicycle parking spaces are needed at train stations, subway stations and, in particular, at bus stops in the regions,” said VCÖ spokesperson Christian Gratzer. 

The organisation calls for secure parking spaces especially in highly frequented locations such as leisure facilities, shopping streets, sports facilities, universities and schools. 

Where are the thefts taking place?

In total, there were 18,566 bicycle thefts registered in Austria in 2023, an increase of 10.4 percent compared to the year before. Here are the numbers for each state:

  • Vienna: 6,328 (down 6.7 percent)
  • Lower Austria: 2,747 (up 28.1 percent)
  • Upper Austria: 2,682 (up 27.2 percent)
  • Salzburg: 1,284 (up 4.6 percent)
  • Tyrol: 1,254 (up 4.2 percent)
  • Styria: 1,908 (up 4.7 percent)
  • Carinthia: 897 (up 11.0 percent)
  • Vorarlberg: 984 (up 141.2 percent)
  • Burgenland: 482 (up 49.2 percent)

The numbers in the capitals are related to population size.

  • Linz: 1,328 (63 bicycle thefts / 10,000 inhabitants)
  • Salzburg City: 813 (52 bicycle thefts / 10,000 inhabitants)
  • Klagenfurt: 510 (49 bicycle thefts / 10,000 inhabitants)
  • Innsbruck: 622 (47 bicycle thefts / 10,000 inhabitants)
  • Graz: 1,176 (39 bicycle thefts / 10,000 inhabitants)
  • Vienna: 6,328 (32 bicycle thefts / 10,000 inhabitants)
  • St. Pölten: 180 (31 bicycle thefts / 10,000 inhabitants)
  • Eisenstadt: 30 (19 bicycle thefts / 10,000 inhabitants)
  • Bregenz district: 331 bicycle thefts (24 bicycle thefts / 10,000 population)

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

How can you minimise risks?

Bike theft is a public issue, and governments are responsible for making the cities and states safer for cyclists. But you can also minimise the risks of getting your bike stolen, according to the VCÖ.

The organisation highlights the importance of always locking your parked bike, even if you only go into a store briefly. When locking up, ensure the frame and lock are attached to a bicycle bracket.

“If only the front wheel is attached to the bike stand, there is a risk that the bike will be removed and the rest of the bike stolen,” explains VCÖ spokesperson Gratzer. Replace the quick release on the saddle and front wheel with safety bolts and use a high-quality bicycle lock.

Even though few bike theft cases are solved in Austria (the “clearance rate” remains low at 9.3 percent), the VCÖ recommends riders note the bike’s frame number so that any recovered bikes can be handed over to the owner more easily.

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