Police stopped Syrians – one man wanted to cut the Israeli flag from the town hall

Around 2 a.m., two men dressed in dark clothing climbed onto a scaffolding in front of Graz’s town hall. There they tried to dismantle the recently installed Israeli flag with a knife and damaged it in the process.

Police officers from the riot unit noted the incident as part of their current increased surveillance and protection measures. When the two men noticed the police, they fled north along Herrengasse.

Chase through the city center
Several Graz police patrols give chase. Police officers then temporarily arrested a suspect in Schmiedgasse and took him to a police station. Not far from the crime scene, officers found a rolled-up Palestinian flag. This was apparently left behind by the refugees. A knife was also seized.

The suspect is a 17-year-old Syrian from Graz. He was questioned about the case for the first time that night and has not yet made a confession. The investigation into the further background and the second, as yet unknown, suspect is still ongoing.

Constitutional service on the move
Further investigation will be carried out by the Styrian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Combating Terrorism (LVT). In the meantime, increased protective measures related to the conflict in the Middle East, the general heightened level of terror alert and the current commemorations of the November 1938 pogroms remain in force. The ‘vigil’ that took place on Wednesday evening was peaceful and without police incidents.