Worse prevented

Call to therapist: man threatened with hand grenades

The man called his therapist and threatened to take his own life. He had hidden the hand grenades in his cellar in Vienna-Liesing (symbolic image).

(Bild: APA/dpa/Jan-Philipp Strobel)

A tragedy was prevented by the Vienna police on Thursday. A 40-year-old Pole is said to have contacted his therapist at around 4 pm: He wanted to take his own life with two hand grenades. WEGA intervened immediately and the explosive devices were defused. 

By acting with extreme caution, the police officers in Liesing, with the support of the WEGA special unit, managed to lure the man out of his apartment and stop him. During a subsequent search, the officers found two functional hand grenades in the 40-year-old's cellar compartment. The mentally ill man had allegedly bought them at a flea market several years ago. The explosive devices were immediately defused by the defusing service and taken away.

Sword and ammunition found
But these were not the only weapons that the man had deposited: A sword and various ammunition were also found in the apartment. The man was subsequently taken to hospital after becoming increasingly aggressive and starting to rage. He is now banned from carrying weapons. 

If you or someone close to you is in an exceptional psychological situation or is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the telephone helpline on 142. You can find other crisis hotlines and emergency numbers HERE.