Did he have helpers?

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The felon was arrested early on Saturday morning.(Bild: P. Huber)

All-clear after a major alarm in Vienna: The 19-year-old terror suspect who escaped from hospital on Friday afternoon was arrested in Vienna-Floridsdorf shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), expressed his satisfaction with the rapid apprehension of the suspect. "Thanks to the professional and good work of our investigators in the DSN, the suspect was arrested after a quick manhunt. The rapid and reliable intervention of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is of particular importance in a dangerous situation, as today's successful, rapid manhunt proved," he said.

According to the police, the fugitive is the Austrian citizen Mahdy C., who reportedly has Tunisian roots. He had been in custody in the Wiener Neustadt prison for a few weeks and had been transferred to the Vienna-Josefstadt prison due to illness.

Escape helpers "cannot be ruled out"
The 19-year-old had most recently been in prison for robbery and assault. He was taken into custody immediately after his release in January. On Friday, he used a hospital appointment at the Barmherzige Brüder hospital in Vienna-Leopoldstadt to escape, incapacitating a prison guard in the process. He may have had helpers in his escape. A "potential involvement in the escape by escape helpers" could "not be ruled out". He was unarmed at the time of his arrest.

Identity "confirmed beyond doubt"
The man was picked up by DSN officers in Vienna-Floridsdorf shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday. The identity of the arrested man has been "confirmed beyond doubt". Following his arrest, he is now in custody at the police station.

Handcuffed and taken to hospital: Justice guards criticized
The Ministry of Justice explained how the felon was able to escape as follows: "With regard to the current case, it should be noted that the circumstances known to date point to misconduct on the part of individual officers." Mahdy C. is said to have been admitted to hospital without handcuffs.

The felon was arrested on Saturday morning.(Bild: P. Huber)

Last fall, the General Directorate of Prisons issued instructions to prisons to shackle prisoners' arms behind their bodies during medical escorts in future in view of the increasing number of escape attempts.

According to current information, the prisoner is a suspected supporter of the radical Islamist terrorist militia IS. The 19-year-old is being investigated for terrorist association.