From the Liveblog of
Sunday, June 18, 2023
Suspected IS sympathizers arrested for plotting attack on Vienna’s Pride parade
BERLIN — Austrian authorities say they’ve foiled a possible attack on Vienna’s Pride parade by three young men who allegedly sympathize with the extremist Islamic State group.
The head of Austria’s domestic intelligence service tells reporters that the suspects, aged 14, 17 and 20, were arrested before the start of the yesterday’s Pride parade, which was attended by around 300,000 people, public broadcaster ORF reported.
Omar Haijawi-Pirchner from the State Protection and Intelligence Directorate says there’s “no danger for the participants of the parade at any time.”
The intelligence service had received advance knowledge of the suspects’ alleged plans, kept them “under constant control,” and arrested them on the orders of the St. Poelten public prosecutor’s office following house searches that uncovered various evidence, including weapons, ORF reports.
The three suspects, Austrian citizens of Bosnian and Chechen origin, whose identities aren’t further revealed, had radicalized online and sympathized with the Islamic State group, Haijawi-Pirchner says.
One of the suspects was known to police, he adds.
The trio was arrested before the start of the parade by Austria’s Cobra special forces.
The organizer of the Pride parade was only informed today about the events. The organizers did not want to create panic among the participants, especially since the police raid had already taken place, according to ORF.
