Arrested in hotel

Algerian man stole luggage at the main station for months

For months, a 37-year-old man from Algeria allegedly stole luggage from travelers at Vienna Central Station. On Wednesday, the police were finally able to track down the suspected thief. He was arrested in a hotel room in the 15th district. 

The Algerian was apprehended by the police in a hotel room just one hour after the Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office issued the arrest warrant. Officers had been searching for the suspected serial thief for months. 

"A brief moment of carelessness is enough"
He is said to have struck a total of 14 times at Vienna Central Station since September last year. "The amount of damage amounts to a five-figure sum," the police announced on Thursday. But how has the crook not been caught for so long? "For professional thieves, all it takes is a brief moment of inattention," explains police spokesman Mattias Schuster. 

During the transfer to a prison, the arrested man attempted to resist the authorities. Further investigations are still ongoing.