A 21-year-old Afghan has been in custody in Salzburg since December 1st, accused of being a sleeper agent for attacks by the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS). A corresponding online report by Salzburger Nachrichten (SN) on Friday was confirmed to APA by the spokesperson for the Salzburg public prosecutor’s office, Ricarda Eder. ‘The man is being investigated for involvement in a terrorist organisation,’ said Eder.
According to SN, IS supporters in Austria are said to have planned attacks on Christmas markets, and a possible terrorist attack in the run-up to Christmas was prevented. Apparently, an attack with knives had been planned, and there had also been plans for an attack with explosives. The target was likely to have been police officers, Jews and Christmas markets. The 21-year-old suspect last lived in Salzburg, where he was also arrested. He is said to have worked in Hallein.
It is unclear where the attack should have been carried out. ‘But the federal capital of Vienna keeps being mentioned in dialogue with IS’, according to the newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten. The 21-year-old is unlikely to have received any precise details from the terrorist militia, but he was apparently ready for them at any time.
The Afghan is said to have spread IS propaganda on his TikTok channel and to have been active in several relevant IS online forums. The Salzburg State Office for State Protection and Counter-Extremism (LSE) is also likely to have tracked him down via these forums. During a house search, data carriers were seized in addition to handwritten notes, according to SN. The young man is said to have confessed fully and also admitted to IS membership in his initial questioning.
The spokeswoman for the Salzburg public prosecutor’s office confirmed on Friday that the accused had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a terrorist organisation. However, no further details were disclosed for reasons of investigative tactics.
Weiterer Anschlag auf Christkindlmarkt geplant – UnserTirol24