With high-tech equipment

These men defused the bomb in Kalsdorf

The two defusing officers from the Special Forces Directorate were on site in Kalsdorf on Friday.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

On Friday evening, a suspicious package was left on the doorstep of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Kalsdorf. One day later, the shocking certainty: a bomb was hidden in the package. The two responsible defusers show how they were able to recover the explosive device before it exploded.

Bomb alert on Friday evening at the Jehovah's Witnesses in Kalsdorf: a package measuring around 50 x 12 x 12 centimetres was found in the entrance area of the religious community. It immediately brought back memories of last summer - because just under a year ago, two bombs attached to cars exploded during a prayer session.

Without further ado, the area was cordoned off on Friday and around 50 residents were evacuated. Explosives experts and sniffer dogs came to the scene - they thought the supposed bomb was suspiciously real. So the defusing service from the Cobra base in Graz was also called in, along with high-tech robots.

One for the rough and one for the fine
Richard Binder, the defuser in charge, stands in front of two of the robots on Sunday afternoon. "One is more of a fine motorist and one is the rough-and-ready type," he explains. Internally, they would also be called "Max" and "Theo". "Our robots are used very often because we always assume the worst to protect ourselves." 

Richard Binder has 18 years of experience in the job.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

This Friday was no exception: when they were alerted late in the evening, they drove to the edge of the exclusion zone. Binder and his colleague sat behind the wheel of the safe police car while the robots approached the house of prayer. "My job was to defuse the package, but I decided to evacuate it for the time being," says Binder. In other words, the two defusing devices took the suspicious object to a special truck. There, the package was placed in a high-security sphere, a so-called blast suppression system.

If I had any worries or fears, I would take off my uniform immediately. I also only tell my wife where I'm going, nothing more.

Richard Binder, Entschärfungsdienst der Direktion für Spezialeinheiten

So the danger was averted for the time being and the residents could breathe a sigh of relief. Was this a routine operation for Binder? "If I had any worries or fears, I would take off my uniform immediately," says the experienced expert. After all, he has been doing this job for 18 years now. "I also only tell my wife where I'm going, nothing more."

Binder: "I'm not a clairvoyant"
The equipment can't always do the dangerous work for the defusers, "you often have to do it by hand", says Binder. Then a 40-kilogram protective suit is used. This is intended to help in an emergency, even if the hands have to remain uncovered for work. Binder knows: "I'm not a clairvoyant, defusing can always go wrong."

He is glad that he didn't have to lend a hand during the operation in Kalsdorf - even though he has to learn how to control the robots. "You have to train them for three to four months to be able to operate them," explains Binder, "but then they can replace a hand 60 percent of the time." Equipped with cameras, X-ray machines or angle grinders, the devices can even survive an explosion. They are also used to deal with nuclear pollution.

"Theo" is the robot for the "rough stuff".

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

On Easter Sunday, Binder is keeping a low profile about the status of the investigation: "We have already dismantled the bomb, but don't want to say anything more detailed for tactical reasons." Nothing is yet known about possible perpetrators either. "We've already conducted some interviews, but the investigation will certainly take days," says police spokesman Markus Lamb.

Police still on alert
Investigators are still hoping that local residents or passers-by have seen suspicious people with a package near the Kingdom Hall in Kalsdorf. Lamb appeals: "Don't hesitate if you see anything, we are grateful for any information." However, no perpetrators were found in the attack in summer 2023 either.

Police spokesman Markus Lamb is appealing for information from the public.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The police are also warning of possible follow-up acts in the Jehovah's Witnesses' environment. "Our protective measures have been intensified and will remain in place until further notice," says Lamb. Patrols have been increased and personal contact has been established with the members of Jehovah's Witnesses.

All church services will still be held as planned, according to the religious community. Markus Kakavis, spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses, says: "As a religious community, we are above all glad that no one has been harmed and are grateful that the police are taking this so seriously. We are now providing pastoral care to all those affected in our faith community."