What will happen next in the case of the 20-year-old Swiss man, who is said to be responsible for a series of bomb threats in Austria, remains unclear on Thursday. The researchers from Switzerland are involved in a real ping-pong match with the Austrian authorities. Linz is still waiting for documents from Switzerland that are crucial for further investigation into the case.
As of Thursday, the chief public prosecutor in Linz had not yet received any information from his Swiss colleagues. They are apparently in no hurry: as a spokesperson for the responsible public prosecutor’s office in the canton of St. Gallen confirmed, the documents were only sent to Austria by post on Wednesday.
Apparently no pre-trial detention for the bomb threatener
This is why the authorities in Linz do not have the results of the search or interrogation of the suspect. A spokesperson for the Swiss public prosecutor only confirmed that requests for legal assistance from Austria to “carry out the requested procedural actions” had been processed.
However, it remains unclear which “procedural actions” the Swiss authorities have carried out in detail. Investigators in Upper Austria have also not been told why the 20-year-old Swiss suspect has not been taken into custody. However, the suspect is already at large again, a spokesperson from Switzerland confirmed on Wednesday. When asked whether there was a risk that further threats could be made by the accused Swiss, the spokesperson replied in the affirmative. “Of course it’s theoretically possible,” he said.
Request for criminal prosecution “noted”
The Swiss also indicated that they did not want to cooperate with Austria upon extradition. “As a Swiss he should have agreed with this, but he did not,” said a Swiss spokesman. The Linz public prosecutor’s office submitted a request to take over the criminal prosecution, but a Swiss spokesperson said this was “noticed”. From a Swiss perspective, a decision on this application cannot be made at this time, as the files and evidence required in the case under the “supplementary agreement” have not yet been submitted.
The Linz Public Prosecutor’s Office responded that the Swiss could have requested the documents a long time ago to speed up the process. However, the authorities assume that the Swiss want to take over the case, because another criminal offense has already taken place against the 20-year-old suspect, which the Swiss investigators have taken over. It is suspected that the Swiss made threatening calls as early as 2022 – also in Austria.
A large number of threatening emails throughout Austria
In recent weeks, Austria has been shocked by a series of bomb threats that have disrupted public life in various places in the country. Security authorities have located the alleged author of the threatening emails in Switzerland. A European arrest warrant was issued against him.
The threats targeted a variety of facilities, including train stations, schools, a shopping center, a bank and a government building. The affected cities stretched across the country, from St. Pölten and Klagenfurt to Bregenz, Graz, Linz and Eisenstadt. Since September 30, authorities are investigating 27 anonymous bomb threats across Austria. Despite the investigation into the Swiss, more bomb threats have been received in Austria – but it is still unclear whether there is a connection with the Swiss suspect or whether they are possible copycats.
Source: Krone
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