Documents still missing

Bomb threats: Suspect at large

The suspected Swiss national is said to have sent bomb threats against several Austrian railroad stations (archive image).(Bild: Christoph Gantner)

The Swiss man who allegedly sent bomb threats against several Austrian institutions is still at large. According to the public prosecutor's office in St. Gallen, documents are still outstanding. An interim report from Linz is still to be submitted.

As reported, bomb threats were sent by e-mail to local state police headquarters at the end of September and beginning of October. As the wording was similar, the police assumed that it was the same perpetrator. The targets included schools, the Vienna Regional Criminal Court, shopping centers and train stations.

The State Security and Intelligence Directorate identified a Swiss national as a suspect. An EU arrest warrant was issued for the then 20-year-old, and the Swiss police raided his home. It is still unclear which and how many bomb threats the young man is allegedly responsible for. The public prosecutor's office in St. Gallen said that he was not a mentally ill person who had sent the threats from a clinic. There had previously been rumors to this effect.

690 trains affected
690 trains were affected by the bomb threats in the fall, resulting in cancellations, canceled stops and delays. According to a spokesperson, the damage to ÖBB is in the high five-figure range.

The public prosecutor's office in St. Gallen has not yet taken over the proceedings, arguing that documents are still outstanding. According to its own statement, the Linz public prosecutor's office has requested that St. Gallen take over the proceedings "in relation to four threatening letters". "We will not be able to get hold of this person without the Swiss authorities".