Wave of emailed bomb threats rolls across Austria

Since late September, the Austrian police have received more than a dozen anonymous emails in which a perpetrator announced a plotted bomb attack targeting civil infrastructure, primarily rail stations.

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to Austria’s Kurier outlet.

"A series of bomb threats started late September, keeping national emergency agencies on edge ever since. They targeted rail stations and schools, a shopping mall, a bank and an office building in St. Pelten, Klagenfurt, Bregenz, Salzburg, Amstetten, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Graz, Linz, and Vienna. In almost all cases, anonymous threats led to large-scale police raids, including mass evacuations," the report said.

Austrian law enforcement have released no details of the ongoing investigation. The Ministry of Internal Affairs briefly reported that "threats against rail stations in various regions were received by e-mail and had similar wording."

As Kurier notes, it is likely that a single culprit stands behind the bomb threats targeting rail stations, whole other cases might involve copycats.

The exact motives of the threats are likely to remain unclear until a bomber or a group of perpetrators is arrested. In Austrian media, experts suggest the latest wave of bomb threats could be related to Russia’s hybrid warfare.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Friday, September 27, Ukraine’s Embassy in Austria suspended work due to a bomb threat. No explosive devices were found at the premises during a search but, in order to prevent potential risks, the Austrian police advised that the building remain closed to visitors throughout the day.