On Tuesday afternoon, the regional court imposed pre-trial detention on the 27-year-old man who allegedly deliberately murdered three sex workers with a knife in an Asia Studio on Engerthstrasse in Vienna-Brigittenau last Friday. The reasons for detention were the risk of committing a crime and the risk of escape, court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn said in response to an APA request.
The suspect is from Afghanistan and came to Austria as an asylum seeker in 2022. He was last housed in a refugee reception center in Carinthia, where he deregistered in accordance with regulations at the end of January and is believed to have moved to the federal capital.
Registered to return home
There were “no incidents whatsoever” involving the 27-year-old at the refugee shelter in the Wolfsberg district, said Barbara Roschitz, head of refugee services for the state of Carinthia. As “Kärnten Today” reported on Monday evening, the man is said to have recently registered with the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) to return to his home country.
Suspect does not want to provide information
The 27-year-old has been in the Vienna-Josefstadt prison since Sunday evening after he “fundamentally confessed” as a suspect during his police interrogation, the Vienna State Police Directorate said. We hear from prison guard circles that the man has not said a word since he was transferred to the correctional facility. He also failed to provide information on his own initiative to the judge who issued the pre-trial detention order. He allegedly did not respond to the judge’s questions. The suspect was also not represented by a lawyer. As required by law, he now has a procedural assistant.
Psychiatric report initiated
The Public Prosecution Service has already initiated the procedure for obtaining a psychiatric report. This is intended to clarify any possible insanity of the suspect or other reasons to exclude guilt.
Identity not yet clear
The 27-year-old caused a massacre with a knife in the establishment on Engerthstrasse on Friday evening. The identities of the three murdered women – they were probably Chinese women who may have come to Austria as sex workers with false documents – had not been known without any doubt recently. A fourth woman was able to save herself by locking herself in a room. She witnessed the violent crime, which took place in different rooms. She is said to still be in severe shock.
Vfirst taken to hospital
The suspect was arrested on Friday in the bushes opposite the red light district after a neighbor called the police around 9 p.m. He saw a trail of blood leading from the restaurant to the other side of the street. The 27-year-old may have injured his hands while committing the crime during the fighting. He was therefore first treated in a hospital before being arrested by the police and questioned about the crime.
Source: Krone
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