"He has confessed"

55-year-old Styrian wanted to kill his wife

Major lockdown in Graz city center, where a car with a bomb strapped to it was found(Bild: Wulf Scherbichler)

The bomber who terrified Jehovah's Witnesses in Styria has been caught! He is a 55-year-old Styrian who was himself a Jehovah's Witness for a long time and wanted to kill his ex-wife after a long dispute over alimony.

It was puzzled for a long time: Who is targeting Jehovah's Witnesses in Styria? Now we know the answer: "Today at 11.30 a.m. a 55-year-old Styrian was arrested at his workplace, he has confessed," said chief investigator Rupert Meixner at a press conference called by the Styrian police on Wednesday at 6 p.m. 

The man himself was a Jehovah's Witness for a long time
What do we know about the perpetrator so far? The man is 55 years old, an IT technician and from the district of Graz-Umgebung. He was a Jehovah's Witness himself from 1991 to 2011, was married to a woman from the religious community and has two children with her. But after the divorce, he was expelled from the Jehovah's Witnesses - a years-long maintenance dispute followed. Last year, he apparently made the decision to kill her.

Rupert Meixner, head of the Styrian LSE, Styrian police chief Gerald Ortner and Rene Kornberger, head of the Styrian LKA and bomb expert at the press conference on Wednesday.(Bild: Monika Krisper)

After several bomb attacks, in which fortunately there were no victims, the investigators tracked down the man. He was arrested today: "A house search is still ongoing at his home south of Graz", said Meixner. The 55-year-old confessed after being arrested by the police, but confirmed that he did not want to harm the Jehovah's Witnesses, but "only" his wife.

The Jehovah's Witnesses were holding a prayer meeting on Kloepferweg in Leibnitz on August 18, 2023, when two explosive devices detonated on members' cars.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz, Krone KREATIV)

In fact, as he admitted in his interrogation, he had already attached a pipe bomb to his ex's car at the beginning of May using a magnet. When this information became known, the car was parked in Elisabethstraße - the very street where the large-scale operation took place. Because it was assumed to be extremely dangerous! The vehicle was examined by the police. But the bomb was not there! However, Rene Kornberger, head of the State Office of Criminal Investigation and explosives expert, assumes that it was on the car. It may have come loose. The fact is: "We don't know where it is!" Was it lost on the journey? The suspect has been caught, but the danger of another detonation has not yet been averted. 

"Relief" among Jehovah's Witnesses
Nevertheless, there is great relief among Jehovah's Witnesses: "We are grateful that the authorities have arrested the perpetrator who, as confirmed by the police, has carried out attacks on members of our faith in recent months," says Markus Kakavis, spokesman for Jehovah's Witnesses in Austria: "This news offers all families and members of our religious community a certain degree of relief and security. We particularly appreciated the protective measures and support from the police during this time, who took the threat very seriously."