The charge against a Croat (25) at the Salzburg Regional Court on Wednesday was arson: he allegedly set fire to a bar on behalf of a gang. In the background it would be about drug debts. But in court he denied: “I wasn’t even in Austria.”
It was November 20, 2021, around 3 am. A snack bar in the Walser district of Himmelsreich was destroyed by flames. The fire shot meters high into the air – almost 90 firefighters fought it. The snack stand was ablaze. It soon became clear: it was arson. But then nothing happened for months.
“Until May 2022, new evidence emerged in a drug case,” the prosecutor explained on Wednesday during the trial before the Salzburg Regional Court. A witness who was once active in a Slovenian drug gang unpacked and provided details – including about the suspected arsonist, the suspect (25).
Defendant: “I was in hospital in Belgrade”
The gang leader allegedly demanded the collection of debts from a man whose sister ran the snack bar. Because no money could be raised, it was said to be arson. “I didn’t do that. “I wasn’t even in Salzburg,” defends the defendant, who has already been convicted in Spain and Slovenia. And he adds: “I wasn’t here at all, I’ve never been to Austria. I was in hospital in Belgrade at the time.” He was in the hospital for four days due to a hand injury.
At the end of December 2023, police officers arrested him in Slovenia. He was transferred to Klagenfurt in February and is now in custody. The judge also asked why the witness accused him: “It’s all lies, I don’t understand it either. Maybe he wants to save himself.” The judge adjourned to get confirmation from the Serbian hospital.
Source: Krone
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