Austria conducts preventive anti-terror raids on 72 individuals

Austrian authorities conducted anti-terror raids targeting 72 individuals, 52 of whom were already in custody. 

According to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, no arrests were made at this stage, who described the operation as a “preventive, intensive focus operation” across all federal states. 

The raids, led by the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), involved house and detention room searches. D

Digital devices, including mobile phones, were seized for investigation concerning Islamist propaganda. Karner remained vague about connections to recent incidents but hinted at the possibility of future arrests.

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Austria to offer free Covid tests for at-risk patients from October

After prolonged negotiations and mounting pressure due to rising COVID-19 cases, Austria’s health insurance company and the Medical Association have reached an agreement to provide free COVID tests for at-risk patients starting in October. A positive test will be required for the prescription of the costly drug Paxlovid, which will be covered by health insurance for those in the risk group.

However, individuals outside the risk group who wish to get tested, such as those with symptoms, will still need to pay for the tests themselves. Prices for test kits vary, and it’s unclear whether there are significant differences in quality.

Suspected arson destroys asylum centre in Austria, six injured

A fire at an asylum centre in Schönau im Mühlkreis, Upper Austria, believed to be arson, destroyed the facility on Thursday. Police reported that investigators found three separate fire sources. The blaze, which started on the ground floor and quickly spread to the upper levels, appears to have been accelerated by liquid fuels stored in the building.

All residents managed to escape, though six people suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospital. Firefighters took about two hours to extinguish the flames fully, but the asylum centre was completely destroyed.

Green integration spokesperson Ines Vukajlovic expressed concern, stating that if arson is confirmed, it’s a serious signal for action. SPÖ regional leader Michael Lindner condemned the attack and called for calmer rhetoric in public discourse.

Austrian woman found guilty of infecting neighbour who died from Covid-19

A 54-year-old woman has been sentenced to four months of conditional imprisonment and fined €800 by Klagenfurt Regional Court for infecting her cancer-stricken neighbour with Covid-19 in 2021. The neighbour later died from pneumonia caused by the virus.

Experts confirmed that the virus DNA from both the woman and the deceased matched almost 100%, making it “almost certain” she transmitted the infection.

The court heard conflicting testimonies about possible contact between the two in the apartment block stairwell, with the family of the deceased claiming the woman denied having COVID-19 when confronted. At the same time, she insisted she was too ill with the flu to have left her bed and, therefore, never saw her neighbour

Judge Sabine Götz acknowledged the difficulty of the case, stating that expert evidence strongly indicated that the defendant caused the infection. The verdict is not yet legally binding.

Right-wing extremist offences rise in Austria, sparking calls for action

Right-wing extremist offences in Austria continued to rise in the first half of 2024, with 556 cases reported, compared to 386 in the same period last year. 

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) attributed part of this increase to amendments to the Prohibition Act, under which 504 offences have been detected so far. 

SPÖ spokesperson Sabine Schatz called the trend “dramatic and worrying,” criticising the government’s failure to implement a national action plan against right-wing extremism despite a 2021 resolution.

Out of the reported offences, 495 were classified as right-wing extremists, with others including racist (33), anti-Semitic (17), and Islamophobic (3) incidents. Additionally, 127 offences were committed online. 

Vienna had the highest number of incidents, with 136, followed by Upper Austria (125) and Lower Austria (78). Schatz urged preventing the far-right FPÖ from gaining government power as part of efforts to combat extremism.

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