Following “IS Recruitment”

Weapons Ban for Female Officer: Terror Alert at Police Department

Terrorism investigations against two women in the same police academy class for female officers—and the absurd official directive.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Christian Jauschowetz, stock.adobe.com)

Bureaucratic Absurdistan: Despite a weapons ban due to suspected ties to terrorism, a newly trained police officer was supposed to begin active duty. After a call from the “Krone,” everything suddenly changed...

The story sounds like a premature Carnival prank, were it not for the seriousness of the issue. Here’s the sensitive background: A 23-year-old Vienna police cadet—who completed her two-year training in Graz—is under investigation by the Styrian State Office for State Security and Combating Extremism (LSE) and the public prosecutor’s office on suspicion of criminal conspiracy and membership in a terrorist organization.

Second Terror Alert in the Same Police Cadet Class
What makes the matter doubly explosive: The young woman attended the same class as a 27-year-old classmate who— as reported —is alleged to have recruited for ISIS. While this police cadet of Afghan descent was expelled after the allegations came to light, the situation with the younger aspiring officer is becoming truly absurd. Despite a temporary ban on carrying firearms, the inspector was scheduled to begin her several-month practical training this Sunday—essentially the final step before her actual daily duties at a Vienna city police station.

The gun belt and pistol must be turned in at the end of the shift
How is this possible? An internal directive from the Human Resources Department states verbatim: “The employee may be deployed without restriction in PI duty (Editor’s note: police precinct) and must be issued the gun belt and service weapon by her assigned supervisor at the start of every shift. At the end of each shift, she must turn in the gun belt and service weapon.” 

So the 27-year-old is allowed to carry a loaded Glock pistol with a 17-round standard magazine while on patrol or in a patrol car—but in her free time, she is prohibited from carrying a weapon due to suspected ties to terrorism. The security agency, however, apparently sees no danger because “the suspicion is not currently considered urgent or substantiated.” Well then…

Two suspected cases of radical Islamist activity in police training are an admission of failure for the conservative Interior Minister.

Gernot Darmann, FPÖ- Sicherheitssprecher

In any case, the FPÖ is up in arms and asks, “Who is stopping this woman from carrying out an attack without a service weapon?” They say it’s like taking away a bus driver’s license but then telling him to still drive the schoolchildren to school. The Freedom Party’s security spokesperson, Gernot Darmann, levels fierce criticism: “How is it possible that even suspected Islamist terrorists are being trained for police duty in Austria? This incident is so unbelievable that one is almost at a loss for words.” ÖVP Interior Minister Karner has lost control.

Sudden U-Turn Following “Krone” Inquiry
The “Krone” inquired with the Ministry of the Interior about the second terror alert in the same police cadet class, and lo and behold: the prospective police officer has now been suspended from duty for the duration of the investigation. Whether she will remain with the police force remains to be seen.