Justice Suspected Swiss bomb-threat perpetrator still at large
Following a series of bomb threats against numerous facilities in Austria, the alleged perpetrator from Switzerland remains at large. This was announced by the St. Gallen public prosecutor's office to the Austrian news agency APA.
02.03.2025, 05:32
SDA
The man still has access to his laptop and cell phone, a spokesperson for the St. Gallen public prosecutor's office told APA. In response to the question as to whether threatening letters could therefore still be sent, the spokesperson emphasized that the presumption of innocence still applies.
The public prosecutor's office in St. Gallen had not yet taken over the proceedings. According to St. Gallen, further documents from Austria are still outstanding. The prosecuting authority in Linz, which is involved in Austria, emphasized that "documents were last sent on 12 February with the renewed request to take over the proceedings in relation to four threatening letters", according to a spokeswoman. An interim report is currently being prepared in Linz, which will then probably also be sent to St. Gallen.
Swiss citizens must consent to extradition to other countries. As the alleged perpetrator has not done so, Austria is dependent on the Swiss judiciary. "We will not be able to get hold of this person without the Swiss authorities," a spokeswoman from the Linz public prosecutor's office told APA in October.
25 hours of interruption to train services
In the meantime, the extent of the economic damage to the Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB has become known: The amount is in the high five-digit range, an ÖBB spokesperson told APA when asked. 690 trains had been affected by the bomb threats last fall. A total of 53 trains per threat were restricted, ten of which were ÖBB trains. The disruptions to train services resulted in around 29,000 minutes of delays, excluding canceled stops and trains.
The bomb threats against various Austrian railroad stations, schools and shopping centers were sent by email to their local provincial police directorates at the end of September and beginning of October. As the wording of the bomb threats against the train stations was similar, it was assumed early on that the same perpetrator was involved. In total, several dozen bomb threats were made against schools, the Vienna Criminal Court and shopping centers in addition to railroad stations.
Suspect tracked down by DSN
The then 20-year-old Swiss national was subsequently identified as a suspect by the Austrian security authorities under the leadership of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN) and an EU arrest warrant was issued against him on the basis of a request for mutual legal assistance. A raid was also carried out on his home by the Swiss executive at the time.
It is unclear for which and how many threats the suspect could be specifically responsible. Rumors that the suspect was a mentally ill man who had sent the threats from a clinic were rejected by the St. Gallen public prosecutor's office.
