Assassin known to the authorities

Did the system fail in the case of Emrah I?

The Salzburg police in front of the assassin's parents' house(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

The authorities had the 18-year-old man from Salzburg in their sights. However, investigations came to nothing. Politicians condemned his attempted assassination in Munich on Thursday in the strongest possible terms, while the opposition criticized cost-cutting measures for integration. 

He was repeatedly violent and conspicuous at school, radicalized by Islamism and allegedly even in possession of weapons and explosives. Emrah I, the known Munich attacker, was investigated last year. However, the Salzburg public prosecutor's office dismissed the charges. Why did this happen? The public prosecutor's office did not want to comment on this. It was only announced in a statement on Friday that the allegations against the accused could not be proven at the time. You can read more about this here.

I deeply condemn this blatantly anti-Semitic and Islamist attack in Munich.

Landeshauptmann Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP)

"Clarification of how and where the perpetrator became radicalized"
Politicians are shocked that it could come to this. "This appalling act underlines the imperative of the hour to act against anti-Semitism and religious extremism with the utmost consistency and severity," said Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP).

Hours later after the attack, the parents' house in Neumarkt was cordoned off.(Bild: AP/APA/DANIEL SCHARINGER)

(Bild: AP/APA/DANIEL SCHARINGER)

(Bild: AP/Matthias Schrader)

(Bild: AP/Matthias Schrader)

The 18-year-old assassin(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Haslauer's deputy Marlene Svazek demands: "Full transparency and clarification of how and where the perpetrator became radicalized."

More prevention is needed. This makes it all the more incomprehensible that integration projects are being scaled back.

Martina Berthold, Landesparteichefin Grüne

Criticism from the opposition
The opposition parties in the state parliament were concerned and also voiced criticism. Neumarkt's mayor and SPÖ party leader David Egger-Kranzinger emphasized that he wanted to fight terrorism and would not be intimidated. The Greens and KPÖ Plus criticized above all the fact that integration and prevention services have been cut back by the state in recent months.

"Politicians must prevent the radicalization of young people instead of cutting prevention services," says Kay-Michael Dankl (KPÖ Plus). One example of the cost-cutting measures: the cancellation of the "Heroes" workshops for young people between 15 and 21 - exactly the age group of Emrah I.