Dozens of emails

Bomb threats: Swiss man will not be extradited

After the series of bomb threats throughout Austria, it is now almost certain that the 20-year-old Swiss man will not be extradited.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

A young man from Switzerland, aged just 20, is said to have sent several bomb threats and thus caused numerous evacuations in Austria. The suspect was located following a European arrest warrant. It is now certain that the young man will not be extradited. 

Following a series of threats against numerous institutions in Austria, the suspected 20-year-old Swiss national has been provisionally arrested in the course of a raid. A spokesperson for the St. Gallen public prosecutor's office confirmed late on Wednesday afternoon that no extradition was requested.

Extradition not agreed
As a result, the man will not be extradited to Austria by the Swiss authorities. "As a Swiss citizen, he would have to agree, but he has not," said the spokesperson.

Further threats quite possible
Following the request for legal assistance from the Austrian authorities, the "requested procedural acts were carried out". It was not clear on Wednesday when the search of the man's home had taken place. However, the suspect has already been released, the spokesperson explained. When asked whether there was a risk that further threats could be sent by the accused Swiss national, the spokesperson replied in the affirmative. "Of course that is theoretically possible," he said.

What happens next in the case remains to be seen. The Swiss prosecution authorities passed the ball back to Austria on Wednesday. The public prosecutor's office in the canton of St. Gallen said that they would now have to wait for feedback from the authorities there.

However, the public prosecutor's office in Linz, which is in charge in Austria, did not want to leave it at that on Wednesday. Spokeswoman Ulrike Breiteneder told APA that the request for legal assistance also included the assumption of proceedings in the event that the man could not be extradited. Details on how to proceed in the case were still pending late Wednesday afternoon. 

Several evacuations in the country
Since the end of September, public life has been significantly disrupted in various parts of the country. Why? A 20-year-old Swiss man is said to have sent around 27 threatening emails in Austria. The terror warnings mainly affected train stations, but also schools. 

Mails were sent to provincial police directorates
The pattern of the threats was always the same: An email is received by the state police headquarters of the respective state, stating that explosive devices have been planted.