"An Old Acquaintance"

They’ve got him! Police arrest Dorotheum robber

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10.08.2026 09:53

He kept all of Vienna on edge for several hours following a hostage alert—now the phantom has been handcuffed: Heavily armed special operations units stormed the Dorotheum robber’s hideout last night! The State Criminal Police Office solved the spectacular heist in record time, just over 80 hours after it occurred. The suspect is an “old acquaintance”…

Major police operation! It was a flurry of flashing blue lights the likes of which the city rarely sees. Last Thursday, dozens of police officers cordoned off a wide area of Währinger Straße, while elite units from WEGA and Cobra took up positions in front of the local jewelry store.

Escaped through an emergency exit, leaving the “treasure” behind
Shortly after 3 p.m., the alarm was triggered at the Dorotheum branch. A masked man armed with a firearm had stormed into the jewelry store. Initially, law enforcement assumed it was a hostage situation, which is why the negotiation team specializing in such cases was called in.

Fortunately, it eventually turned out that—from the perpetrator’s perspective—everything that could go wrong during the robbery had gone wrong. The four employees had managed to escape to the street. But by the time the SWAT teams stormed the store with assault rifles, the phantom was already gone. The gunman likely fled through the back exit when he saw the first officers approaching. In doing so, of course, he left behind the “treasure” he had stolen from the display cases.

On Thursday, the Dorotheum robber threw Vienna into a state of emergency.
On Thursday, the Dorotheum robber threw Vienna into a state of emergency.(Bild: Krone-Collage/APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER, Alexander Tuma)

Spectacular heist solved in a flash
Of course, the robber could only celebrate his narrow escape for a little over 80 hours. Thanks to the meticulous work of crime scene specialists and investigators from the Vienna State Criminal Police Office, DNA traces left behind—among other evidence—quickly led them to the phantom’s trail.

An “Old Acquaintance” of the Police
According to police reports, the man is a 36-year-old Austrian citizen. He was likely already on file in the police database, as he is an “old acquaintance” who has previously served time in prison. Three days after the spectacular heist—or a little over 80 hours later—the suspected criminal was tracked down.

“Gambling Debts and Drug Addiction”
That night, the operation began! Special units stormed the phantom’s hideout in Vienna. Around 8 p.m., he was finally arrested in his apartment in Währing. The man cited gambling debts and drug addiction as his motives for the crime. The robber is currently undergoing continuous interrogation.

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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