Hefty fine looms

Bomb threat: there is still no trace of the caller

The main station in Innsbruck was cordoned off and searched on Sunday evening.

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

Following the anonymous bomb threat that forced the evacuation of Innsbruck Central Station on Sunday evening, the investigation is in full swing. The police are searching for the caller. If he is unmasked, a hefty fine awaits him. The investigators are hoping for possible tips from the public.

"We are at the beginning of the investigation," police spokesman Stefan Eder told the "Krone" newspaper on Monday morning. The search is on for the person who called the provincial police headquarters at around 8.20 p.m. on Sunday and threatened to bomb the main railway station. "We are not disclosing exactly what he threatened and what the wording was," Eder continued. For reasons of investigation and interrogation tactics, the knowledge that only the perpetrator can have should not be leaked.

Investigators hope for clues
The starting point for the investigators is the phone call on Sunday evening. "These are usually very lengthy investigations," said the police spokesman, describing the procedure. If anyone can help to clarify the case, they should contact the police, Eder also called on the public.

We always take such calls seriously. The case is now being investigated for making a dangerous threat, which is no trivial offense.

Stefan Eder, Pressesprecher Polizei Tirol

"Dangerous threat": hefty penalties
The police urgently advise potential copycats against such actions: if the anonymous caller is found, he faces hefty penalties. The case is being investigated for making a dangerous threat.

The motive in the Innsbruck case is of course still unclear. "People who have been caught in similar cases were often impaired by alcohol or other substances," says Eder. "But that's no excuse and doesn't change the sentence. An operation like this also costs a lot of money."

Large-scale operation with dozens of officers
Dozens of officers were deployed on Sunday evening to clear the main station, cordon off a large area and search for explosive devices. As reported, the Cobra task force and several explosives detection dogs were also deployed. They searched the platforms and the hall and also checked garbage cans.

The all-clear was finally given shortly before 10 p.m.: no bomb was found, the evacuation could be lifted and train services resumed.