Man (21) arrested

Afghan allegedly planned attack in Austria

The police at the Vienna Christmas market.

(Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer (Symbolbild))

A 21-year-old Afghan is believed to have planned an attack on a Christmas market in Austria. The young man last lived in Salzburg and was arrested by the police on December 1st. He is said to have been holding himself ready as a sleeper agent. 

The suspect is said to be a supporter of the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS). Public prosecutor Ricarda Eder told the "Krone" newspaper: "I can confirm that there are preliminary proceedings against this young man. He was arrested in Salzburg at the beginning of December and is in custody." He is being investigated on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organization.

"Kept himself ready as a sleeper agent"
The 21-year-old, who most recently worked in Hallein, is said to have planned an attack on a Christmas market in Vienna. It is unclear where the attack was to have been carried out. Eder: "He has been keeping himself ready as a sleeper for possible attacks. However, for tactical investigative reasons, we cannot say any more about this."

His arrest is said to have prevented a possible terrorist attack in the run-up to Christmas. Apparently, an attack with knives had been planned, and there had also been plans for an attack with explosives. The target was likely to have been police officers, Jews and Christmas markets.

IS propaganda spread via TikTok
The Afghan is said to have spread IS propaganda on his TikTok channel and to have been active in several relevant IS online forums. The Salzburg State Office for State Protection and Counter-Extremism (LSE) is believed to have tracked him down via these forums.

In the course of the investigations, a house search is also said to have been carried out, during which data carriers were seized, among other things. The accused is also said to have confessed. According to "Krone" information, the 21-year-old is said to have been granted subsidiary protection in Austria. Revocation proceedings have now been initiated.