Does the terrorist arm from Vienna reach as far as Zurich?
The Zurich cantonal police have also reacted to the terrorist attack in downtown Vienna by setting up the "Vienna" task force. Among other things, it is investigating whether there are any connections between Vienna and Zurich. Two people were arrested in Winterthur on Tuesday.
According to Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer, the terrorist attack in Vienna was carried out by a sympathizer of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia. The 20-year-old was armed with an assault rifle, he said. In addition, the man, who had both Austrian and northern Macedonian citizenship, was wearing a dummy explosive belt.
The young man had wanted to travel to Syria to join the IS. Therefore, he was sentenced to 22 months in prison in April 2019. He was released early in December. According to Nehammer, there have been extensive raids in the environment of the perpetrator. Several people were arrested in the process, he said.
Two suspects also arrested in Winterthur
The group of the task force "Vienna" of the Zurich Cantonal Police is continuously following the events and they are in close exchange with various partners, including in Bern and Vienna, the statement said.
In connection with the attacks in Vienna, there was the arrest in Switzerland of an 18-year-old and a 24-year-old Swiss. The two men had been arrested on Tuesday afternoon, 3.11.2020, in coordination with the Austrian authorities by the special unit EG Diamant in Winterthur. The extent to which there was a connection between the two arrested and the suspected attacker is currently the subject of ongoing clarifications and investigations.
Detect attack plans at an early stage
In order to detect and thwart attack plans from the jihadist environment as well as from returnees from crisis areas at an early stage, the cantonal police already formed a special commission in 2015. All available information from the areas of danger prevention and investigation of the various police organizations is brought together. If necessary, appropriate measures will be taken in the preventive and repressive areas, according to a media release today from the department of Zurich Security Director Mario Fehr.
Protective measures strengthened
High attention is paid to the protection and security of religious institutions. The canton and the city support Jewish organizations with contributions to their security costs. After the attacks in Vienna, the existing protective measures were reviewed and strengthened, it is further reported. (rs)
