At large again Authorities do not extradite alleged bomb-threat suspect from Switzerland
During a raid, a Swiss suspect is arrested for a series of bomb threats against facilities in Austria. He is not extradited, but released again.
16.10.2024, 19:39
SDA
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- A 20-year-old Swiss man is said to have made 27 anonymous bomb threats against numerous Austrian train stations, schools and shopping centers.
- During a raid, the man is provisionally arrested but then released.
- After a house search, the Swiss authorities hand the case over to the Austrians for further investigation.
- The Linz public prosecutor's office, however, believes that the Swiss should take over the case.
Following a series of bomb threats against numerous institutions in Austria, a 20-year-old Swiss man suspected of the crime has been provisionally arrested in the course of a raid. According to the public prosecutor's office, the man was subsequently released.
No pre-trial detention was requested, a spokesperson for the St. Gallen public prosecutor's office told the Austrian news agency APA on Wednesday. The man will not be extradited to Austria by the Swiss authorities. "As a Swiss citizen, he would have to agree, but he has not," said the spokesperson.
The St. Gallen authorities carried out a house search on the 20-year-old. The "requested procedural acts" have been completed. Now the Austrians have to react.
The responsible public prosecutor's office in Linz, however, believes that the Swiss should take over the case. If the man cannot be extradited, the proceedings will have to be taken over by them, a spokeswoman told APA. According to the spokesperson, this is part of the request for legal assistance.
27 bomb threats received by email
Since September 30, the Austrian authorities have been investigating a total of 27 anonymous bomb threats across Austria, all of which were received by email. Train stations were particularly affected, but threats were also received against schools and shopping centers. The subsequent police operations sometimes led to evacuations.
According to the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), around 450 trains and thousands of passengers were affected by the first five bomb threats at train stations alone. In total, train services were disrupted for around eight hours, according to the Austrian Federal Railways.
The Austrian state security authorities investigated the 20-year-old Swiss national as an "urgent" suspect. A European arrest warrant had been issued for him.