Curious responsibility

Weapons cache in a messy house: “For the rat hunt!”

Why does a senior citizens' flat share need so many weapons?

(Bild: LPD Kärnten)

Almost a year ago, explosives and dozens of weapons, some of which were banned, were found in a messy house in Carinthia. On Thursday, three senior citizens and a young flatmate sat in the dock in Klagenfurt - little remained of the accusations of terrorism and bomb-making, but many questions remained unanswered!

What was a flat-sharing community of three senior citizens and a young Styrian doing with 1.5 kilograms of explosives, 20 detonators and dozens of weapons, including camouflaged swords, war material and fully automatic rifles?

"We had a few things ready to hand to shoot the rats," one of the accused explained seriously. "You know how it is with rats!" Judge Christian Liebhauser-Karl looks a little puzzled: "No, I don't have much experience."

The trial at the regional court in Klagenfurt remains curious: prosecutor Johanna Schun has charged the preparation of a bomb attack. However, neither the expert witness, who is well versed in weapons technology, nor the constitutional protection officers, who did not even work on the case, confirm this: "The case was not an issue for us because, in our view, there was no threat to the state," says the interim head of the Carinthian LSE - since the beginning of the year it has been called the State Office for State Protection and Countering Extremism - in response to the judge's intense questioning. 

Only conditional prison sentences
So very little remains of the monster find in Kleindiex near Ruden - possession of explosives and weapons earn the senior citizens and their young roommate conditional sentences of nine and twelve months, which are also accepted by the defense lawyers. However, it is worth questioning why, despite the great effort, it was not finally clarified what the quartet really did in their messy yard and where the TNT and weapons came from in the first place!