Party over

Three years in prison for failed robbery

After fleeing without loot, the bank robber handed himself in: three years in prison - not legally binding

(Bild: Marcel Tratnik)

A 22-year-old Syrian robbed a bank in Villach last November and then turned himself in. With wild parties, a rented Lamborghini and brand-name clothes, he made 40,000 euros "in the sand".

A situation that you wouldn't want to experience twice: a masked man storms into the bank, demands money and threatens with a bomb. An employee had already had an encounter of this kind three years previously. "You become very alert after such an act, so I immediately had a strange feeling when the defendant came into the bank," said the woman at the trial at the regional court in Klagenfurt. The situation definitely seemed dangerous to her: "I didn't know what was going to happen."

The then 21-year-old attached the homemade dummy bomb made from a headphone and laptop charging cable, including the power supply unit, to his stomach and presented a note saying that a bomb would explode in a minute if he did not receive money immediately. 

But since there was no money in the service desk and it would take too long to open an ATM, the accused ran out of time and fled without any loot. 

Wild parties and a rented luxury car
The young man was apparently addicted to luxury. After coming to Carinthia with his family in 2015 and attending school, the dream of decadence was very big. "My client isn't the prototype of a robber, but rather a little hag who tried to get a taste of high society with the money his father had saved," explains his defense lawyer. He squandered 40,000 euros of his family's savings. 

Twice to Iraq and back
Two days after the failed robbery attempt, the 22-year-old flew to Iraq, found a job and returned to Carinthia in mid-December - "to take care of business" - and flew back east; with more information: "I saw the photos of me, they were everywhere on social media. I couldn't sleep anymore. I decided to turn myself in," explains the bank robber, who returned to Carinthia, turned himself in and was immediately remanded in custody.

"We are dealing with a capital offense," said the presiding judge, Michaela Sanin, explaining the prison sentence. The 22-year-old accepted the sentence, which was not legally binding.