Austrian intelligence foils terror attack on Vienna Pride parade

Austria’s intelligence agency has foiled an Islamist terror attack on Vienna’s annual gay pride parade, as EU officials warned of a growing potential for Islamist violence in Europe.

The three male suspects – aged 14, 17 and 20 years old, Bosnian and Austrian nationals of Chechen heritage – allegedly planned to attack parade participants with weapons, including air guns, sabers and axes, were arrested. The police had seized a car as well, possibly using one. To drive in a crowd.

The head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), Omar Hajjawi-Perchner, told a news conference on Sunday that the three had been under surveillance for some time and were caught after attempts by a SWAT team to carry out a “preparatory action” I went. for an attack.

He added that the conspirators were kept under “constant surveillance”.

Anti-terrorism officials in Vienna believe the three suspects were radicalized online, with the DSN monitoring their consumption of ISIS-linked propaganda.

The DSN said the three made unsuccessful attempts to acquire more lethal, illegal weapons from abroad, but gave no further details.

Organizers estimate that some 300,000 people took part in Saturday’s “Rainbow Parade”, one of Europe’s largest gay rights events held in Vienna’s Ringstrasse.

Four people were killed and more than a dozen were injured in an Islamist attack in the city two and a half years after the arrest.

Since then, Austrian authorities have prioritized expanding their counter-terrorism expertise and reforming their national security apparatus after a series of embarrassing shortcomings came to light.

The frequency of attacks linked to jihadist ideology in Europe has slowed in recent years, but counter-terrorism officials across the continent have warned of a resurgence.

According to Europol, six Islamist attacks on the continent are expected to be completed, thwarted or failed in 2022, down from 13 in 2020.

However, the number of annual arrests of suspected jihadist terrorists by European police agencies has remained stable, at around 260 each year between 2020 and 2022.

During a visit to the US last month, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin warned that there was a growing possibility of a resurgence of Islamist violence in Europe, saying it remained a “primary risk” amid a range of terrorist threats on the continent. that includes far-right violence.

Dutch counter-terrorism officials said earlier this month that there were “increasing signs that jihadist organizations are preparing to carry out terrorist attacks”, as they raised the country’s threat level to “significant”.

The three suspects are being held at a prison in St. Pölten in north-eastern Austria.

Austria’s intelligence agency has foiled an Islamist terror attack on Vienna’s annual gay pride parade, as EU officials warned of a growing potential for Islamist violence in Europe.

The three male suspects – aged 14, 17 and 20 years old, Bosnian and Austrian nationals of Chechen heritage – allegedly planned to attack parade participants with weapons, including air guns, sabers and axes, were arrested. The police had seized a car as well, possibly using one. To drive in a crowd.

The head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), Omar Hajjawi-Perchner, told a news conference on Sunday that the three had been under surveillance for some time and were caught after attempts by a SWAT team to carry out a “preparatory action” I went. for an attack.

He added that the conspirators were kept under “constant surveillance”.

Anti-terrorism officials in Vienna believe the three suspects were radicalized online, with the DSN monitoring their consumption of ISIS-linked propaganda.

The DSN said the three made unsuccessful attempts to acquire more lethal, illegal weapons from abroad, but gave no further details.

Organizers estimate that some 300,000 people took part in Saturday’s “Rainbow Parade”, one of Europe’s largest gay rights events held in Vienna’s Ringstrasse.

Four people were killed and more than a dozen were injured in an Islamist attack in the city two and a half years after the arrest.

Since then, Austrian authorities have prioritized expanding their counter-terrorism expertise and reforming their national security apparatus after a series of embarrassing shortcomings came to light.

The frequency of attacks linked to jihadist ideology in Europe has slowed in recent years, but counter-terrorism officials across the continent have warned of a resurgence.

According to Europol, six Islamist attacks on the continent are expected to be completed, thwarted or failed in 2022, down from 13 in 2020.

However, the number of annual arrests of suspected jihadist terrorists by European police agencies has remained stable, at around 260 each year between 2020 and 2022.

During a visit to the US last month, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin warned that there was a growing possibility of a resurgence of Islamist violence in Europe, saying it remained a “primary risk” amid a range of terrorist threats on the continent. that includes far-right violence.

Dutch counter-terrorism officials said earlier this month that there were “increasing signs that jihadist organizations are preparing to carry out terrorist attacks”, as they raised the country’s threat level to “significant”.

The three suspects are being held at a prison in St. Pölten in north-eastern Austria.