Who is the bomber?

Attack on Jehovah’s Witnesses: profiler now investigating

The Kingdom Hall in Kalsdorf

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz, Krone KREATIV)

One month after the bomb was planted at the Jehovah's Witnesses in Kalsdorf, the police are stepping up their investigations. A criminal psychologist is hot on the heels of the perpetrator, who is "technically adept" and very dangerous. Because he could strike again.

It was on Good Friday that Jehovah's Witnesses were once again targeted by a bomber: An unknown perpetrator had planted an explosive device outside the denomination's Kingdom Hall in Kalsdorf. Fortunately, the members raised the alarm in time, the defusing service arrived and removed the highly dangerous package. It immediately brought back terrible memories of the attack in Leibnitz last summer - when bombs attached to two cars exploded during and after a prayer session. 

Investigation group "Michael" to track down perpetrators
Now, a month after the latest dramatic incident, the police are stepping up their investigations. The "Michael" investigation team (named after the archangel who plays an important role in the Jehovah's Witnesses) set up by the State Office for State Protection and Counter-Extremism has called in a profiler to hunt down the perpetrator. Because: He is dangerous and could strike again!

The two defusers from the Special Forces Directorate were on site in Kalsdorf.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Explosive force would have been enormous
The investigators, who have conducted dozens of interviews, know this much: The perpetrator must have an abysmal hatred of Jehovah's Witnesses with a "regional context" and is an absolute professional. Construction plans for explosive devices such as those seized in Leibnitz and Kalsdorf cannot simply be downloaded from the internet.

The explosive power of the latter "infernal machine" was enormous. If it had blown up, there would have been major damage to the building of the religious community, which has been recognized since 2009. It is hard to imagine what it would have done to people.

The building in Leibnitz

(Bild: Jürgen Radspieler)

How are the interviews with Jehovah's Witnesses going? Initially slow, according to police sources, but now there could be more momentum. The secrecy of the confessional, which some of the "elders" of the Witnesses had initially invoked, does not apply in any case, according to a legal examination by the public prosecutor's office.

The officers from the State Office of Criminal Investigation are hoping to gain further insights, especially as active and former relatives have already provided information. They are also in possession of a list of Jehovah's Witnesses who have left the organization, which is being closely examined. 

In any case, the police are taking the situation very seriously. Thankfully, similar attacks in this country happened a long time ago - think of the Franz Fuchs letter bomber in the 1990s and the car bomb in Kindberg in 2000. The protective measures for the affected believers (there are 30 locations of the denomination in Styria) are in place.

The unexploded bomb of the perpetrator, who according to the profiler was "technically adept", is still being closely scrutinized by experts and the evaluation of evidence is in full swing. And the police are still hoping for information from the public - anonymously and confidentially.