Police vigilant

Terror threat: Threats against Viennese balls on the net

Due to circulating terror threats against Viennese balls on the internet, this year's Viennese ball season will be accompanied by numerous police measures to help minimize the risk of concrete threats - the police announced on Wednesday.

As the Vienna police announced on Wednesday, postings calling for attacks around the world, including in Europe, are repeatedly being distributed by the terrorist organization IS. The Vienna ball season has now been mentioned in one such posting, which can be seen as an appeal, alongside numerous other events in the USA and Europe.  

"The LSE (State Office for State Protection and Counter Extremism) has developed standardized procedures and processes for all major events in the federal capital, which are already being applied and will also be used at major ball events," said the Vienna police. However, the investigators are unable to name specific police measures due to security police confidentiality interests.

Second highest terror alert level
The second-highest terror alert level has been in place in Austria for some time. The police therefore pay particular attention to all large and important events. Nevertheless, the Vienna police assume that tens of thousands of guests will still be able to enjoy a safe ball season in 2025.