Series of threats

Death list at school and boy who came with a knife

Threats against schools keep the police and special units in Lower Austria busy.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer (Symbolbild))

St. Pölten, Lichtenwörth, Wiener Neustadt: several schools in Lower Austria have recently been the scene of threatened rampages, in one case a boy even attacked the principal with a knife. And two suspects even know each other. The executive warns once again: "Such threats are not trivial offenses!"

On Tuesday afternoon, a 14-year-old terrified the small community of Lichtenwörth in the district of Wiener Neustadt: The teenager had made an "abstract threat" against his former school. These reached the teachers via third parties and the police were informed.

Robbing a petrol station with a friend
The boy is known to the police. A few weeks earlier, he had robbed a petrol station in Wiener Neustadt with a friend who was a year older than him. With a pistol in their hands, they threatened an employee (39), reached into the cash drawer themselves and then fled with the cash. The 14-year-old turned himself in to the police two days later. After 14 days in custody, he was released.

Charge at large
Because a weapon had already been carried at the time, a large contingent including the Cobra special unit was deployed to Lichtenwörth. "Safety had top priority", explained the provincial police directorate. The boy, who according to the education directorate had not previously attracted any negative or aggressive behavior, was released.

Threats against schools keep the police and special units in Lower Austria busy.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer (Symbolbild))

Such threats, even if made carelessly or as a joke, are not trivial offenses. They are prosecuted under criminal law.

Polizeisprecher Johann Baumschlager

"It was not sufficiently provable that he actually made this claim", explained the public prosecutor's office on request. On Wednesday, lessons took place at NMS Lichtenwörth under police surveillance. A ban on entering and approaching is in place. 

A friend came with a knife
Explosive: A friend of the teenager's age had already caused a police operation at the polytechnic school in Wiener Neustadt at the beginning of October. The pupil, who is said to have aggressive tendencies, had gone home after an argument and returned with a knife with which he wanted to attack the principal. Cobra was also deployed there, but no one was injured.

The 14-year-old has already been sentenced to eight months in prison, two of which are mandatory. "The two know each other, they are from the same clique," confirmed the police. However, there is no direct connection between the two incidents, they emphasize.

Threat in St. Pölten
Meanwhile, a teenager who allegedly threatened to go on a killing spree at a secondary school in St. Pölten is still in custody. This was confirmed by the St. Pölten public prosecutor's office on Wednesday morning in response to an inquiry by the "Krone" newspaper. The 16-year-old had mentioned to classmates that he wanted to kill certain people. There is said to have been a kind of "death list". The boy is said to have psychological problems.

"Not a trivial offense"
Johann Baumschlager from the provincial police directorate explicitly warns against copycat offenders: "It must be expressly pointed out that such threats, even if made carelessly or as a joke, are not trivial offenses, but will be prosecuted under criminal law."