Is the sneak attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico a purely Slovak problem? No. The increasing willingness to use violence against representatives of the people can be observed everywhere in Europe. Also in Austria. As a current case in Vienna shows: a 28-year-old announced attacks on top politicians. Yet he walked around freely for a long time.
Last week in the Vienna Regional Court: long faces from the judge and the prosecutor after the dock remained empty. The suspect simply did not show up for his trial. What is not entirely clear is that he was allowed to walk free after everything he was accused of in the criminal complaint.
The first threatening emails came from Venezuela
Not least with the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Fico in Slovakia, the red-white-red affair has become more explosive. The defendant is a 28-year-old Austrian. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he sent six emails from Venezuela to a police station in Vienna in February 2024. It says he will “take revenge and break the necks of the bastards. It will end in murder.” These hate threats were directed against Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.
Back in Austria the announcements increased. The unemployed man called the police station: “I have a knife and will stab you.” He also wrote another email, this time from Vienna, with death threats to the Chancellor and the President.
Arrested for skipping the trial
It was only because he failed to appear at his trial that the judge ordered his arrest. Now the ticking time bomb has finally been sentenced to pre-trial detention due to the risk of absconding and the risk of committing a crime.
The suspect is awaiting trial in Josefstadt prison, which will now take place on June 3. The assessment of the danger will be placed in the hands of a professional: forensic psychiatrist Siegfried Schranz will examine the Viennese.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
